Post by : Maya Rahman

The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will occur on Friday, setting the stage for a tournament that runs from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A total of 48 nations, including the Qatar national team, will compete, having secured their spot by finishing first in Group A during the Asian qualifiers, outpacing Oman and the UAE.

This marks Qatar’s second consecutive appearance in the World Cup and its first through the usual qualifying route, following its role as host in 2022. The draw will be held at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, where the participating countries will be grouped into 12 groups of four.

FIFA has categorized the teams into four levels based on rankings issued on November 19, with the host nations—USA, Canada, and Mexico—ranked in the top tier regardless of their specific standings. Qatar finds itself in the third tier alongside teams like Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, ensuring they will not be grouped with these nations initially.

In the second tier, teams such as Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia are included. The fourth tier will feature teams including Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, and teams emerging from European and global playoffs.

The World Cup 2026 will showcase a notable Arab representation, with seven teams already qualified: Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. Iraq may join later through the global playoffs in March, potentially increasing the number of Arab teams to eight. Tunisia, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia are set to make their seventh World Cup appearances, Algeria its fifth, and Egypt its fourth, while Jordan enters for the first time following Qatar's previous hosting.

During the draw process, FIFA will allocate teams from each pot into groups A to L, ensuring a systematic distribution. The three host countries will occupy specific roles: Mexico will head Group A, Canada will lead Group B, and the USA will be placed in Group C. Additionally, FIFA will ensure that top-ranked teams like Spain, Argentina, France, and England do not confront each other in the early stages by creating distinct paths that lead to the semi-finals.

A fundamental rule stipulates that only one team from each confederation can occupy a group, except for UEFA, which has 16 teams. UEFA can allow up to two teams per group, whereas all other confederations will limit participation to one team per group. FIFA aims to finalize the group stage structure by December 6, enabling fans globally to start planning for the matches.

This organized framework seeks to uphold competitive integrity, ensure fair play, and deliver an exhilarating World Cup 2026 experience with extraordinary representation from Arab nations.

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