CS-2026. Ahead of the final tournament draw for the Ukraine national team: squad baskets

The ceremony for the draw of the final tournament of the 2026 World Cup will begin at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington today, December 5, at 19:00 Kyiv time, FIFA reports. Ukraine is among the playoff participants and has been placed in the fourth pot. Reminder: According to the UEFA playoff path draw results, Ukrainians will take Path B, where they will face Sweden's team on their home field in the semifinal on March 26.

CS-2026. Ahead of the final tournament draw for the Ukraine national team: squad baskets

Photo from fifa.com

The draw for the final tournament of the 2026 World Cup will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington today, December 5th, at 19:00 Kyiv time, FIFA reports.Ukraine is among the playoff participants and has been placed in the fourth pot. 

As a reminder, based on the results of the UEFA playoff draw, Ukrainians will take Path B, where they will face Sweden at home on March 26th. In case of success in this match, the Ukrainian national team will compete for a World Cup spot against Poland vs Albania winners on March 31st.

UEFA 2026 World Cup Playoff

Path A

Semifinals

March 26, 2026

Italy — Northern Ireland

Wales — Bosnia and Herzegovina

Final

March 31, 2026

Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina — Italy/Northern Ireland

Path B

Semifinals

March 26, 2026

Ukraine — Sweden

Poland — Albania

Final

March 31, 2026

Ukraine/Sweden — Poland/Albania 

Path C

Semifinals

March 26, 2026

Turkey — Romania

Slovakia — Kosovo

Final

March 31, 2026

Slovakia/Kosovo — Turkey/Romania

Path D

Semifinals

March 26, 2026

Denmark — North Macedonia

Czech Republic — Ireland

Final

March 31, 2026

Czech Republic/Ireland — Denmark/North Macedonia

Photo UEFA

Intercontinental playoff

Semifinals

March 26, 2026

New Caledonia — Jamaica

Bolivia — Suriname

Finals

March 31, 2026

New Caledonia/Jamaica — DR Congo

Bolivia/Suriname — Iraq

2026 World Cup Final Tournament

After the November international window, 42 participants in the tournament are known.

Hosts: USA, Canada, Mexico.

Europe: England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Scotland.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia.

Asia: Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.

Africa: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Senegal, Ivory Coast.

CONCACAF: Panama, Curacao, Haiti.

Oceania: New Zealand.

The last six participants in the World Cup will be determined by the results of March 2026 matches: six national teams in the intercontinental playoff will compete for two spots, another four slots will be contested in the European playoff involving sixteen teams.

Photo FIFA

Pot composition before the draw on December 5th based on the FIFA ranking as of November 19th

Pot 1: USA, Mexico, Canada, 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: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, winners of the European playoff (1, 2, 3, 4), winners of the intercontinental playoff (1, 2).

The hosts of the 2026 World Cup have been placed in pot one.

In each group at the 2026 World Cup there will be no more than one team from the same confederation (except UEFA, where up to two teams are allowed). Also, the top-ranked teams (Spain and Argentina) have been placed in different paths so that if they advance past the group stage, they won't meet until the final. The third (France) and fourth (England) teams in the ranking will also be split across separate branches. 

All details of the draw for the final tournament can be found here.

The 2026 World Cup is the first in history to feature 48 teams in the finals. There will be twelve groups with four teams each. The top two teams from each group and eight of the best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16.

Matches of the 23rd World Cup will take place in sixteen cities. These include Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey in Mexico, as well as Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle in the USA.

The opening match of the World Cup will take place on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, while the final will be held in New York on July 19.

Final tournament calendar for the 2026 World Cup