12/04/2025
Ar you ready for some Futbol? While the process for determining the 48-team FIFA World Cup field is a lot like determining the genome that influences eye color, here's what we know, given that the actual draw is December 5...
World Cup Teams Drawn Friday
The specific teams that will play in Kansas City during the 2026 World Cup will be determined during the Final Draw on Friday, December 5, 2025. However, the matches in Kansas City will feature teams from Group E, Group F, and Group J.
What is Currently Known
• Draw Date: The official Final Draw will take place on December 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.. The updated match schedule, assigning specific teams to venues, will be released the following day, Saturday, December 6, 2025.
• Host Nation Exclusion: The host nations—USA (Group D), Mexico (Group A), and Canada (Group B)—have been pre-assigned to groups that will not play group-stage matches in Kansas City.
• Match Allocation: Kansas City (branded as "Kansas City Stadium" for the tournament) will host six total matches:
o Two group-stage matches for teams in Group J (June 16 and 27, 2026).
o One group-stage match for teams in Group E (June 20, 2026).
o One group-stage match for teams in Group F (June 25, 2026).
o One Round of 32 knockout match (July 3, 2026).
o One quarterfinal match (July 11, 2026).
Potential Teams
Based on current FIFA rankings and the draw procedures, the teams that might play in Kansas City will come from Pots 2, 3, and 4. Given that Kansas City is centrally located, local organizers hope to host a top-10 team for their base camp.
Journalists have created mock scenarios of potential high-profile teams that could land in groups E, F, or J, including:
• Top-tier stars: Teams with players like Norway's Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, Poland's Robert Lewandowski, or Colombia's Luis Díaz are potential candidates to play in these groups, as they are likely to be drawn from Pot 2 or 3.
• Qualified nations in contention: Other strong qualified nations in Pots 2 and 3 include Croatia, Morocco, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
The definitive list of teams will be available after the draw on December 5, 2025. You can find more information about the draw procedures on the official FIFA website.
Oh, and by the way, the CFP is announcecd Sunday December 7 at noon on ESPN...That will be a lot less likely to give you a migraine.
But hey, we are in the "blast radius" for the biggest sporting event of the century with every game a "Super Bowl" like atmosphere.
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