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.

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 FIFA World Cup draw is at 11 a.m. CT Friday. Arlington's AT&T Stadium will host a tournament-high nine matches. Both the United States and Mexico

Follow the World Cup draw with live updates and find out who the USMNT and soccer's best will be facing during the 2026 tournament. The expanded 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in history featuring 48 countries – up from 32 – battling for soccer's ultimate prize in North America.

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.

This World Cup is going to be defined by its pageantry and the sheer amount of top-tier celebrities on show. Friday's draw already flaunted Shaq, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Lauryn Hill; all legends in their fields. The legendary footballers almost seemed like the sideshow at one point.

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.

We now know every team's path at the 2026 World Cup. On Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, a collection of FIFA soccer legends, dignitaries and celebrities drew the groups from four pots. Now, we know who every country will have to play next summer across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tunisia's track record against their Group F rivals at the 2026 World CupWorld Cup 2026: Tunisia's history with their Group F opponentsTunisia will compete in Group F at the 2026 FIFA World Cup