The 2026 FIFA World Cup groups are settled, and playoff games in March will determine the final slots. President Donald Trump was awarded a peace prize.

Next summer's event will be the first ever 48-team World Cup, with those nations being broken up into 12 groups of four. From there, 104 matches will be played at 16 venues across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to determine a World Cup champion.

FIFA changed the draw for 2026 to create separate pathways to the semifinals for the four-highest ranked teams: Spain, Argentina, France and England. That means if Spain and Argentina win their groups, the world's Nos. 1 and 2 teams can not meet prior to the final.

The USA will begin the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay as part of what initially appears to be a favorable draw for the hosts. Mauricio Pochettino's side will also take on Australia and the winners of one of the four European playoffs to secure a spot at the tournament, either Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.

Friday's draw from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., determined the 12 groups for next summer's 48-team soccer extravaganza. We now know which teams will stand in the way of the U.S. men's national team. We know who Lionel Messi and Argentina will first take on to repeat as champions.

The 2026 World Cup draw took place in Washington DC on Friday and we had you covered for everything as it happened.

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from the 2026 World Cup draw as groups are determined in Washington, D.C. Follow for complete results, including the full schedule and fixtures for USA, Canada,

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