The biggest day on the world football calendar for 2025 has arrived with dignitaries, celebrities, players and more descending upon Washington, DC for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw. Later on Friday, Canada will discover what three teams will make up the rest of Group B.
Keep up to date with the latest news as this exciting day unfolds.
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THE DRAW IS OVER
The draw is complete. Canada will face off with Switzerland, Qatar and one of Italy, Northern Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Wales.
The full schedule release will be announced LIVE on TSN, Saturday at 11:30am et/8:30am pt.
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The groups are being drawn
Group A: Mexico, Korea Republic, South Africa, UEFA Playoff D
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA Playoff A
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, UEFA Playoff C
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Cote d’Ivoire, Curacao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Playoff B
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Playoff 2
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, FIFA Playoff 1
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
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The draw begins!
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A reminder of the pots
The four pots are as follows:
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, 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, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
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The draw assistants have arrived
Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, Tom Brady and Shaq are here.
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Ferdinand is finally on stage
Rio Ferdinand is on stage. The draw is finally close.
Uh, I spoke too soon. There’s another video.
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Trump awarded peace prize
As expected the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize has been awarded to Donald Trump.
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There will be some pageantry before the actual draw
Kevin Hart and Heidi Klum are your hosts, Gianni Infantino is currently speaking and there are more presentations to come, but the draw will happen.
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The show is underway
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has opened the show with a performance.
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They sent the mascots to the red carpet
The official mascots have arrived for the World Cup draw.
The stars of the show 🇨🇦🇲🇽🇺🇸#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mHHciGmwUl
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 5, 2025
Each host nation has its own mascot. There is Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar and Clutch the Bald Eagle. They kinda phoned these in, no? The people in those costumes are probably sweltering. Keep them hydrated.
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Canada’s path in the knockouts depends on where they finish
We know for sure that Canada opens its tournament in Toronto before going to Vancouver for its final two group-stage games. But what happens after that?
If Canada manages to win its group, it can stay in Vancouver all the way until the quarter-finals. A second-place guarantees a trip to Los Angeles for the Round of 32. Should Canada finish third and be one of the top third-place finishers, they would play in San Francisco or Boston. Finish fourth and Canada goes home...well, they’re already at home, but you know what I mean.
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Canada since Qatar
Let’s take a look what Canada has done in the nearly two years since the 2022 World Cup.
Since 2022, Canada has only lost eight of 29 matches and had a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Copa America.
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Eli takes to the red carpet
Two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning will be serving as a red carpet correspondent for FIFA.
Ready for kick-off, @EliManning. #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mkPvmEnnh5
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 5, 2025
If he runs into Tom Brady, he will undoubtedly remind him against whom he won both of his rings.
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Altidore talks World Cup in Toronto
Toronto FC icon and former United States forward Jozy Altidore is no stranger to the World Cup, having played in a pair of them. TSN’s Matt Scianitti caught up with Altidore on the red carpet in DC to talk about what Toronto can expect from the World Cup.
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Rio arrives in DC
The man who will conduct Friday’s draw is in the building.
Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand will serve as the draw’s conductor. Ferdinand, 47, won nine major honours in his 12 seasons at Old Trafford, including the 2008 Champions League. Capped 81 by England, Ferdinand played in three World Cups.
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The FIFA Peace Prize also to be awarded
FIFA president Gianni Infantino raised eyebrows several weeks back with the announcement of an inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to be handed out during Friday’s draw.
“In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it is fundamental to recognize the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace,” Infantino said in a statement.
US president Donald Trump, who has developed a rapport with Infantino in recent months, is widely expected to be the recipient of the award.
Trump, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum will all be in attendance for the draw.
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The stars are arriving
Hey, look it’s Papa John’s pitchman and franchisee Shaquille O’Neal!
The basketball icon and star of every third commercial on TV will be one of the draw assistants later today alongside Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady and Aaron Judge.
Legendary footballers are also in DC in droves like World Cup winner Marcel Desailly of France and, perhaps, Bulgaria’s greatest player in Hristo Stoichkov.
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Groups to be learned, but not the schedule
While we will learn which groups the 48 teams will each be in on Friday, the actual schedule and who will play in which of the 16 host cities will come down on Saturday.
We do know that Canada will open its tournament on June 12 at Toronto’s BMO Field.
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