The World Cup kicks off in 188 days, and the countdown truly begins with the draw taking place on Friday.
The 42 nations who've already qualified, as well as the 22 still hoping to do so via various play-offs, are all involved, so here is everything you need to know ahead of this eagerly-anticipated event.
When and where is the World Cup draw taking place?
The draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday 5 December. It will start at noon (ET) and 5pm (GMT) and is scheduled to take around an hour and 40 minutes.
How can I watch the World Cup draw?
- In the UK, the draw is available to watch on BBC2 & BBC iPlayer.
- In the USA, the draw is available to watch on Fox, Peacock & Telemundo.
- Around the World, the draw is available to watch on FIFA+ or check local listing.
Who is in each World Cup draw pot?
Pot 1
- United States (co-host)
- Mexico (co-host)
- Canada (co-host)
- Argentina
- France
- 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
- Cape Verde
- Ghana
- Curaçao
- Haiti
- New Zealand
- UEFA play-off Path A winner
- UEFA play-off Path B winner
- UEFA play-off Path C winner
- UEFA play-off Path D winner
- Inter-confederation play-off path 1 winner
- Inter-confederation play-off path 2 winner
Who are the World Cup play-off teams?
UEFA A: Italy vs Northern Ireland & Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina.
UEFA B: Ukraine vs Sweden & Poland vs Albania.
UEFA C: Türkiye vs Romania & Slovakia vs Kosovo.
UEFA D: Denmark vs North Macedonia & Czechia vs Republic of Ireland.
Inter-confederation 1: DR Congo vs New Caledonia or Jamaica.
Inter-confederation 2: Iraq vs Bolivia or Suriname.
What do we already know ahead of the World Cup draw?
Co-hosts Mexico have automatically be assigned to Group A, with Canada in Group B and the United States in Group D.
Each group can contain a maximum of 1 nation per confederations, excluding Europe that can only have a maximum of 2.
The top 4 ranked nations, Spain, holders Argentina, France and England, will be placed on opposite sides of the bracket "in the interest of ensuring competitive balance". Thus, if all 4 finish first in their respective groups, they would be unable to meet until the semi-finals.
When will the World Cup match schedule be released?
The finalised World Cup fixture list, including venues and kick off times, will be released by FIFA at noon (ET) and 5pm (GMT) on Saturday 6 December, 24 hours after the draw.
What else is happening during the World Cup draw?
President Gianni Infantino will award the first-ever FIFA peace price during the draw ceremony, widely-expected to be given to US President Donald Trump, which isn't at all dubious, controversial or political or anything like that.
Kevin Hart, Heidi Klum and Danny Ramirez will host the draw, while there will be live performances from Andrea Bocelli, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and the Village People.... yes really!