Mexico co-hosts next year’s World Cup, making it the third time football’s biggest tournament has landed in the country.
In 1970, Pele’s Brazil captured the imagination of fans across the globe as they swept to glory in Mexico.
Sixteen years later, after Colombia had to withdraw from its hosting commitments, the Latin American nation welcomed FIFA’s showpiece once again. This time, Diego Maradona produced the defining performances of his career as he inspired Argentina to a second world title.
It remains to be seen which superstars of today will put themselves in that company at the 2026 tournament, but what are the chances of El Tri thrilling home supporters with a solid run into the latter stages?
Their group-stage opponents, plus their potential path through the knockout phase, will be determined by the draw on December 5. The pot into which they have been placed for that ceremony in Washington, D.C., could be of significant importance to their chances of a deep run at the tournament.
The Sporting News brings you a look at what pot Mexico will be pulled from in the group-stage draw, and how the event could shape up.
MORE: How the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw works
Mexico pot in World Cup draw
Mexico will be placed in Pot 1 for the 2026 World Cup draw.
It is tradition that every host at each World Cup is ceremoniously placed in Pot 1 and pre-drawn into specific groups.
This is so FIFA can maximize the host nation’s presence at the competition, ensuring they are placed in preferred locations to give them the most effective exposure. In addition, a host’s placement in Pot 1 helps them slightly on a competitive level, giving them a boost in the draw so they are well placed to advance as far as possible.
Mexico, for example, cannot be drawn in a group with any other Pot 1 team. This means they cannot be pitted against fellow co-hosts Canada or the USA, nor any of the top-ranked teams at the tournament, such as world No. 1 Spain, reigning world champions Argentina, or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
World Cup 2026 draw pots
The top nine teams based on the FIFA Rankings go in Pot 1, alongside the three co-hosts. The next 12 best teams go into Pot 2, and so on.
FIFA stated that all remaining to-be-determined qualifiers — the four from the March UEFA playoffs and the two to qualify from the intercontinental playoffs — will be in Pot 4 regardless of their world ranking.
Numbers in parentheses denote FIFA ranking
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Canada* (27) | Croatia (10) | Norway (29) | Jordan (66) |
| Mexico* (15) | Morocco (11) | Panama (30) | Cape Verde (68) |
| USA* (14) | Colombia (13) | Egypt (34) | Ghana (72) |
| Spain (1) | Uruguay (16) | Algeria (35) | Curacao (82) |
| Argentina (2) | Switzerland (17) | Scotland (36) | Haiti (84) |
| France (3) | Japan (18) | Paraguay (39) | New Zealand (86) |
| England (4) | Senegal (19) | Tunisia (40) | UEFA playoff A |
| Brazil (5) | Iran (20) | Ivory Coast (42) | UEFA playoff B |
| Portugal (6) | South Korea (22) | Uzbekistan (50) | UEFA playoff C |
| Netherlands (7) | Ecuador (23) | Qatar (51) | UEFA playoff D |
| Belgium (8) | Austria (24) | Saudi Arabia (60) | Intercontinental playoff 1 |
| Germany (9) | Australia (26) | South Africa (61) | Intercontinental playoff 2 |
*Host nation
USA and Canada pots for World Cup draw
All three co-hosts will both be drawn from Pot 1 at the draw.
The only other time that multiple countries hosted a World Cup was 2002, when co-hosts South Korea and Japan were also placed in Pot 1 automatically.
That year was also the last time that three nations were given automatic passage to Pot 1. Alongside the two co-hosts, France were also placed in Pot 1 as the reigning champions from the 1998 tournament. The defending World Cup champion no longer gains automatic qualification — and therefore Pot 1 placement — as that was done away with starting in the 2006 World Cup.
Teams in World Cup 2026 playoffs
The below teams are taking part in the World Cup playoffs next March and are therefore still in with a chance of qualifying for the finals.
| Nation | Confederation | FIFA rank | Playoff pathway |
| Italy | UEFA | 12 | UEFA Path A |
| Wales | UEFA | 32 | UEFA Path A |
| Northern Ireland | UEFA | 69 | UEFA Path A |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | UEFA | 71 | UEFA Path A |
| Ukraine | UEFA | 28 | UEFA Path B |
| Poland | UEFA | 31 | UEFA Path B |
| Sweden | UEFA | 43 | UEFA Path B |
| Albania | UEFA | 63 | UEFA Path B |
| Turkey | UEFA | 25 | UEFA Path C |
| Slovakia | UEFA | 45 | UEFA Path C |
| Romania | UEFA | 47 | UEFA Path C |
| Kosovo | UEFA | 80 | UEFA Path C |
| Denmark | UEFA | 21 | UEFA Path D |
| Czechia | UEFA | 44 | UEFA Path D |
| Rep. of Ireland | UEFA | 59 | UEFA Path D |
| North Macedonia | UEFA | 65 | UEFA Path D |
| DR Congo | CAF | 56 | Intercontinental Path 1 |
| Jamaica | CONCACAF | 70 | Intercontinental Path 1 |
| New Caledonia | OFC | 149 | Intercontinental Path 1 |
| Iraq | AFC | 58 | Intercontinental Path 2 |
| Bolivia | CONMEBOL | 76 | Intercontinental Path 2 |
| Suriname | CONCACAF | 123 | Intercontinental Path 2 |
MORE: Fixture schedule, dates of UEFA playoffs | Fixture schedule, dates of intercontinental playoffs
How does the World Cup 2026 draw work?
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a random draw will be conducted to determine the 12 groups, each consisting of four teams.
Each group consists of one team from each pot.
You can find a full breakdown of how the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will work here.
