Africa’s nine qualified nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will discover their group-stage opponents on Friday, as the draw for the expanded 48-team tournament takes place in Washington D.C. 

The ceremony, hosted at the Kennedy Center, begins at 7pm CAT (5pm GMT) and marks the first major milestone in the final build-up to a World Cup that will span Canada, the United States and Mexico between 11 June and 18 July 2026.

For African teams, the draw represents more than just the unveiling of opponents.

It signals the first step in a campaign that many believe could be the continent’s most promising in decades, coming after Morocco’s historic semi-final run at Qatar 2022 — the first by any African nation.

Africa’s contingent is already confirmed: Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa all topped their qualifying groups and secured automatic places at the tournament.

Under the new 48-team format, the World Cup will feature 12 groups of four, with teams drawn from four seeded pots based on the latest FIFA rankings.

Crucially for African sides, FIFA’s geographic restrictions ensure no group may contain more than one CAF nation, removing the possibility of early all-African clashes and guaranteeing nine separate African representatives across the groups.

Morocco and Senegal, currently Africa’s highest-ranked teams, enter the draw in Pot 2, avoiding some of the continent’s toughest potential opponents and increasing their chances of a favourable path.

Five African nations — Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa — are placed in Pot 3, setting up the possibility of complex, highly competitive groups.

 Meanwhile, Ghana and Cape Verde, both positioned in Pot 4, face the toughest draw conditions and are expected to be matched with a Pot 1 global powerhouse.

Pot 1 contains the strongest nations at the tournament, including Germany, Brazil, France, Spain, England, Argentina and the three co-hosts — the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The presence of Europe’s heavyweights in every group guarantees difficult assignments, though African sides have increasingly shown an ability to compete with, and even surpass, world football’s elite.

Morocco’s run to the last four at Qatar 2022 remains the clearest example, but Senegal, Tunisia and Ghana all made significant impressions at recent tournaments, and Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria carry squads brimming with top-level European experience.

While 42 teams have already qualified, six World Cup spots remain undecided.
Four will come from the UEFA play-offs, featuring heavyweight nations such as Italy, Turkey, Sweden and Poland.

The remaining two places will be settled through the Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament in March, involving Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, New Caledonia, Iraq and DR Congo.

If Leopards qualify through the playoffs, they will be protected from facing any CAF nation in the group stage due to confederation separation rules.

What African teams can expect today

The procedure follows standard FIFA format:

• Teams are placed into four pots.
• One team from each pot is drawn into each of the 12 groups (A–L).
• The three host nations automatically take positions A1, B1 and D1.
• Geographic restrictions apply for all confederations except UEFA, which may have up to two European teams per group due to its large number of qualifiers.

FIFA has also confirmed that the top four ranked teams worldwide — Spain, Argentina, France and England — will be separated across the draw to avoid meeting before the semi-final stage, provided they top their groups.

For African sides, the draw will determine not only their opponents but also their match venues, travel routes, rest periods and potential knockout pathways across a tournament hosted over three vast countries.

A pivotal moment for African football

With unprecedented squad depth across the continent and a World Cup format offering more places and more knockout berths, African football enters the draw with a renewed sense of possibility.

Whether Morocco can build on their 2022 heroics, or whether another African nation emerges as a surprise contender, will begin to take shape tonight when the 2026 World Cup map is finally revealed.

Below are the pots for the 2026 World Cup draw 

Pot 1: France, Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

Pot 3: Saudi Arabia, Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa

Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, winners of European play-offs A, B, C and D, winners of intercontinental play-offs 1 and 2.

-Cafonline

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U.S. President Donald Trump is set to preside over the FIFA World Cup final draw on Friday, in what is expected to be a lavish, showman-style ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The high-profile event marks one of the most significant intersections yet between global sport and Trump’s presidential persona.

The Kennedy Center, which Trump effectively took control of earlier this year by appointing a new president and board, will host an evening of pomp, pageantry and star-studded performances. Organisers have clearly designed the programme with the president in mind.

The iconic disco group Village People will perform their hit “Y.M.C.A.” — a signature song regularly played at Trump’s political rallies. FIFA is also expected to unveil a new peace prize during the ceremony, with Trump slated to be the inaugural recipient. The president has long touted his efforts to end global conflicts as a basis for recognition on the world stage, including the Nobel Peace Prize, though results of those diplomatic efforts have been mixed.

The entertainment lineup further includes classical legend Andrea Bocelli, British pop star Robbie Williams, and American singer and Broadway performer Nicole Scherzinger, underscoring the ceremony’s high-profile nature.

This year, Trump has repeatedly used the ceremonial trappings of the presidency to position himself prominently at major cultural and sporting events. He attended the Super Bowl in February — receiving both cheers and boos — and is scheduled to appear at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, an event he chose to avoid during his first term.

Geopolitical tensions are also expected to cast a shadow over the proceedings. An Iranian delegation will attend the draw despite initially threatening to boycott the event over visa complications, according to media reports. Their presence comes months after U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

Friday’s draw will not only determine the matchups for football’s biggest tournament but will also spotlight a president eager to place himself at the centre of the global stage — this time, in front of the football world.

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Former England captain Rio Ferdinand will take global football’s spotlight on Friday, 5 December 2025, as he leads the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. FIFA confirmed Ferdinand as the chief conductor of the historic draw, placing the Premier League Hall of Famer at the heart of one of the most anticipated moments ahead of the first-ever 48-team World Cup.

Ferdinand, widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, will guide viewers through the complex and unprecedented process of revealing the 12 groups of four teams each. He will be joined by award-winning broadcaster Samantha Johnson, who will serve as co-conductor.

“To conduct this historic draw is an unbelievable honour,” Ferdinand said. “As a player, I lived for these global stages – now I’m humbled to play a different, special role together with an incredible line-up to reveal the groups the whole world is waiting for.”

The event marks a new chapter for global football as the expanded World Cup format makes its debut in 2026 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA is preparing a show that blends sport, entertainment and celebrity in a way rarely seen at a World Cup draw—and Ferdinand will stand at its centre.

Supporting him on stage is an extraordinary cast of sporting icons drawn from American football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey, underscoring the tournament’s deep North American presence. Seven-time NFL Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, MLB All-Star Aaron Judge, and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky will serve as draw assistants, adding a cross-sport flavour to the event.

Brady said being part of the draw was “the kind of global stage every athlete dreams of,” while Gretzky expressed excitement about helping shape “an unforgettable moment” for the world. Judge said his involvement was special given the final will be played “in our own backyard,” and O’Neal described the draw as a moment of immense pride for athletes and fans worldwide.

Adding to the allure, two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning will host the red carpet, welcoming dignitaries, players, entertainers and football legends ahead of the live broadcast.

The draw will be transmitted globally on FIFA.com and through FIFA’s media partners from 12:00 ET (18:00 CET), with millions of fans expected to tune in as Ferdinand leads football into its next era.

With Washington DC set to transform into the centre of global sport, the spotlight will fall firmly on Rio Ferdinand—tasked with unveiling the matchups that will define the biggest FIFA World Cup in history.

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