With 42 countries confirmed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, anticipation is building for the draw next month.
The tournament, which has been expanded to include 48 teams, will kick off on June 11, 2026. On Tuesday, FIFA announced that the host nations, Canada, Mexico, and the USA, will be placed in Pot 1.
These three countries will be seeded alongside strong teams such as Argentina, Brazil, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and England.
Bafana Bafana, who qualified for their first World Cup in 23 years, have been placed in Pot 3. They will face teams from Pots 1, 2, and 4 in the group stage.
Depending on the draw, they could end up in either an easier or more challenging World Cup group. Additionally, the two placeholders from the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament and four European play-off placeholders will be assigned to Pot 4.
When will the World Cup draw take place?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
The draw is scheduled for December 5 at 19:00 (SA time) at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC.
An updated match schedule, including the stadiums assigned to each match and their respective kick-off times, will be released on 6 December.
This will be the fourth time that Bafana Bafana participates in a FIFA World Cup. In their previous three appearances, South Africa was eliminated in the group stages and has won only two matches at the global tournament.
Preparations for the World Cup will be made as soon as the draw is conducted on 6 December, which could also be the day that Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos decide on his Africa Cup of Nations squad.