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.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, with a matchup between host nation Mexico and Group A challenger South Africa. In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host a World Cup.

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

Check out the groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, along with everything you need to know about the tourney's format.

As for the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino will be pretty content with his nation’s opponents on home soil. With an average ranking of 33, Group D is the fifth-toughest, also containing Australia, Paraguay and UEFA Playoff Winner C, which will be one of Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

The draw for the tournament took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and followed President Donald Trump receiving the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. The full results of the draw can be seen here and you can also watch The Athletic FC Podcast team’s reaction to the ceremony on YouTube.

The US men’s soccer team will open June 12, face Australia on June 19 in Seattle and finish group play June 25 at SoFi Stadium against a team to be determined.

The USMNT kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Paraguay in front of a home crowd in California. The Stars and Stripes will feel confident going against the CONMBEOL side given they just defeated Gustavo Alfaro’s men 2–1 in an international friendly during the November window.