The pots for the 2026 World Cup draw have been finalised, giving England and Scotland a glimpse of their potential group opponents. While Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions booked their spot in North America with eight wins from eight, Steve Clarke’s Scotland secured passage with a dramatic late 4-2 win over Denmark. Scotland will take part in their first World Cup in 28 years as a result.
Scotland secured their place after a thrilling night at Hampden, surviving two Denmark comebacks to top their group. Attention now turns to Washington DC for the draw on Friday, December 5. The event will be held at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Centre in the US capital, with 42 of the 48 nations confirmed. The remaining six spots will be determined by playoffs in March next year.
And 12 groups will be drawn, each featuring one team from each of the four seeding pots, with Scotland included among the third-seeded nations. England are in Pot 1 with the other giants, meaning they will avoid any early high-profile group games against the likes of Brazil, France, Spain and Argentina.
FIFA will announce the venues, kick-off times and updated match schedule 24 hours after the draw on Saturday, December 6.
World Cup draw pots in full
Pot 1
Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
Pot 2
Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
Pot 3
Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland , Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot 4
Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2.