Explaining the 2026 World Cup draw, including how the seedings and pots work and which teams have already qualified.

Follow ESPN's live updates of the World Cup playoff draw with Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland set to learn their path to the tournament.

Italy block the qualification path for Wales and Northern Ireland when it comes to reaching the 2026 World Cup, while the Republic of Ireland will face Czechia in the play-off semi-finals. There are four more places at FIFA's flagship event up for grabs in the UEFA section,

The potential home final would have been the cherry on top, but Italy can still be satisfied with the World Cup playoff draw that took place a few hours ago.Having avoided the dangers of Sweden (and

Chelsea draw with Barcelona in a pulsating encounter at Stamford Bridge as both sides maintain their unbeaten records in the.

The fate of 48 national teams will be revealed at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 as the official 2026 World Cup draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This landmark event will chart the journey toward the biggest tournament in football history, hosted next summer across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

But then, in a repeat of last year's semifinal, Chelsea hosted Barcelona which ended in a 1-1 draw, and in the other two games, Paris Saint-Germain were unable to beat Bayern Munich as the Bavarians won 3-1 in Paris and OH Leuven was able to snatch a point in a 1-1 draw against Roma.

Germany have moved into ninth place ahead in the latest FIFA men's rankings ahead of the 2026 World Cup draw, likely sealing a place in Pot 1 for the draw.