Colombia is set to play Portugal, Uzbekistan and the winner of the Intercontinental Play Off I at the 2026 FIFA World Cup; 48 teams were split into 12 groups for the biggest tournament in history. Colombia, placed in Pot 2, will play Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the Group stage.
FIFA seeded the field into four pots of 12 to spread the tournament’s top sides and ensure regional balance. Pot 1 contains the three co-hosts (United States, Mexico, and Canada) plus the nine highest-ranked nations; Pots 2 and 3 hold the next tiers by FIFA ranking; Pot 4 contains the lowest-ranked direct qualifiers plus the six teams that will emerge from March’s playoff tournaments. Mexico, Canada, and the United States have preassigned group positions (Mexico A1, Canada B1, United States D1), and FIFA has also placed the four highest-ranked teams, Spain, Argentina, France, and England, in separate quarters of the knockout bracket.
The draw placed Pot 1 teams into Groups A–L first, followed by Pots 2, 3, and 4. No group may contain two teams from the same confederation except UEFA; with 16 European qualifiers and only 12 groups, four groups will include two European sides. For Colombia, every possible group will therefore contain: one Pot 1 seed, Colombia (Pot 2), one Pot 3 team, and one Pot 4 team. Below are the pots in full.
Pot 1 (hosts + top seeds): Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot 4 (lowest-ranked direct qualifiers + six play-off winners): Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA playoff qualifier A, UEFA playoff qualifier B, UEFA playoff qualifier C, UEFA playoff qualifier D, Inter-confederation playoff qualifier 1, Inter-confederation playoff qualifier 2.
The draw lasted over 2 hours and was streamed on FIFA.com and major broadcasters worldwide; FIFA will publish the full match schedule with stadiums and kickoff times on Saturday, Dec. 6.
2026 World Cup Groups drawn
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Winner European Play Off D.
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Winner European Play Off A.
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti.
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, Winner European Play Off C.
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Cote D’Ivoire, Curaçao.
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Winner European Play Off B.
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand.
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde.
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Intercontinental Play Off Winner 2.
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan.
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Intercontinental Play Off Winner 1 (Jamaica, New Caledonia, Democratic Republic of Congo).
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana.
The 2026 World Cup Group stage draw
Italian singer Andrea Bocelli opened the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony, Colombia’s delegation at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington was led by head coach Nestor Lorenzo and Colombian Football federation President Ramon Jesurun. Radamel Falcao Garcia was also in attendance, representing Colombia in the capital of the United States.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino took center stage, and called FIFA the ‘Official happiness provider for humanity, for over 100 years.’ Infantino also introduced U.S. President Trump, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Mark Carney, the leaders of the three host countries. Robbie Williams closed the initial segment of the ceremony with his rendition of Desire with Nicole Scherzinger.
U.S. President Donald Trump was awarded the first FIFA Peace Prize by Gianni Infantino. President Trump took the stage to accept the award. “This prize is yours, its a medal for peace”, said Infantino as he awarded the prize. Infantino awarded the prize to President Trump, for “His outstanding leadership and for bringing the world together in unity.”
President Trump called this award “One of the biggest honors of his life”. “Football is something wonderful, and we have already shattered records no one thought was possible”, he added. Infantino invited Mark Carney, Claudia Sheinbaum, and President Trump on stage to begin the draw.