This Friday, we’ll find out which group the 39 qualified countries and three host nations will land in for the 2026 World Cup. The 2026 World Cup draw will take place on Friday, Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. ET on Fox. Pre-show coverage of the draw begins at 11:30 a.m. The venues and kickoff times for the World Cup group stage games will then be announced on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tickets for the World Cup are already available.
Here’s how to watch the 2026 World Cup draw live, plus what you need to know about buying World Cup tickets, before or after the groupings are announced.
Advertisement
How to watch the 2026 World Cup draw:
Date: Friday, Dec. 5
Time: 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT
Location: Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
TV channel: Fox
Streaming: Fox One, DirecTV, YouTube via VPN and more
When is the 2026 World Cup draw?
The World Cup draw will take place on Friday, Dec. 5. All the group stage venues and kickoff times will then be announced the following day, on Saturday, Dec. 6
2026 World Cup draw start time:
The World Cup draw will officially kick off at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, though there will be pre-show coverage of the event as early as 11:30 a.m. ET.
What channel is the World Cup draw on?
The World Cup draw will air across Fox networks, including Fox and via the Fox Sports app. Coverage will also likely air on FS1.
Advertisement
How to watch the World Cup draw:
For those with live TV access, you may be able to watch Fox totally free over the air. But if not, here’s how we recommend tuning in.
FOX One is a streaming service from FOX that launched earlier this years. With a subscription to FOX One, you can tune in to all your favorite FOX channels like FOX News, FOX Sports, FOX Weather, FS1, FS2, FOX Business, FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network (B1G), and local FOX stations all in one place.
FOX One offers live programming, as well as on-demand shows and movies. The base price for FOX One is $19.99 a month, or you can save with an annual subscription for $199.99. FOX Nation fans can even bundle it with FOX One for $24.99 a month, or opt for an annual subscription, which nets out to $19.99/month.
You can also bundle FOX One with ESPN’s newly revamped streaming service for $39.99/month.
$19.99/month at FOX
DirecTV’s Choice tier (currently $79.98 for your first month with fees) gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox.
Plus, the Choice tier will get you CBSSN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty of local RSNs. The best part is, currently, you can try all this out for free. If you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for the football season but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
You’ll also get access to ESPN Unlimited, and unlimited Cloud DVR storage included in whatever DirecTV package you choose.
Try free at DirecTV
How to watch the World Cup draw for free:
In the U.S., the draw will air on Fox, but globally in many regions, a livestream of the draw will be available to watch via YouTube livestream, totally free. If you don’t have access to Fox, you might want to consider trying a VPN, so you can tune into the World Cup draw free livestream.
Residents of the U.K. are able to watch the 2026 World Cup draw livestream for free on YouTube. Don’t live in the U.K.? You can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN.
ExpressVPN offers “internet without borders,” meaning you can access international shows, movies, and sporting events without paying for U.S. coverage, plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: The Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month). All you’ll need to do to watch is sign up for ExpressVPN, change your server location and then find the livestream on FIFA’s YouTube channel.
ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
From $3.49/month at ExpressVPN
Don’t want to navigate a VPN? Many live TV streaming services offer free trials, so you can also tune into the 2026 World Cup draw for free via a free trial.
How to get tickets to the 2026 World Cup:
If you’ve been following World Cup news, you’ll know that tickets to matches are not cheap. Currently, the average price for a group stage match is about $1,500-2,000 per ticket; you can browse available seats on the FIFA website. Additionally, 2026 World Cup hospitality packages are available. These guarantee fans seats to a set number of matches, a group of matches all at the same venue, or for a single team’s early games — if you’re hoping to watch one of the host nation’s games, this is the only way to do so.
Advertisement
These tickets cost significantly more than a regular single-game ticket, starting at $6,750, with some packages priced at $8,275 (note that prices and availability vary greatly depending on the team and venue). Fans interested in purchasing a multi-match package for multiple games at different venues or who would like to request VIP seating can sign up for a special registration list. (More information about ticket prices and tiers, accessibility, and more can be found here.)
Find tickets on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup site
Find tickets on StubHub
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 and runs through July 19, 2026.
Advertisement
Where will 2026 World Cup games be held?
There will be 15 host cities for the 2026 World Cup throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada. They are:
United States
-
Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
-
Boston – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
-
Dallas – At&T Stadium, Arlington TX
-
Houston – NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
-
Kansas City – GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
-
Los Angeles – Sofi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
-
Miami – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
-
New York/New Jersey – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
-
Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
-
San Francisco Bay Area – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
-
Seattle – Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
Mexico
-
Mexico City – Estadio Azteca, Coyoacan, Mexico City
-
Monterrey – Estadio BBVA, Gudalupe, Nuevo Leon
-
Guadalajara – Estadio Akron, Guadalajara
Canada
-
Toronto – BMO Field, Toronto, ON
-
Vancouver – BC Place, Vancouver BC
How to get 2026 World Cup tickets:
Individual match tickets are now available to purchase through the FIFA website. To purchase tickets that are part of a multi-game or hospitality package, you can sign up here to receive more information. In addition, there will also be a final ticket lottery held after this week’s draw; fans will be able to submit applications for specific matches once the group-stage matchups have been revealed to try and grab a limited number of lower-priced tickets at select matches. (An exact date for this lottery has not yet been revealed but you can sign-up to receive up-to-date information on the FIFA site.)
Advertisement
When do 2026 World Cup tickets go on sale?
Tickets for the 2026 World Cup are now on sale, though the match schedule doesn’t specify team groupings (yet).
Find tickets on FIFA’s website
Find tickets on StubHub
How much are 2026 World Cup tickets?
Currently, individual tickets for the 2026 World Cup run anywhere from $1,400 to $3,500 (if you’re searching for tickets for matches in Mexico or Canada, don’t be scared off by their higher price tags — they’re all in the same price range after adjusting for conversion rates). Tickets for the group stage, knockout rounds, and the bronze final are currently available. It’s important to note that FIFA is employing a dynamic pricing strategy, so prices may fluctuate as we get closer to the tournament, depending on demand. For those lucky enough to enter and be selected in the ticketing lottery, prices are significantly less – they’re broken out into four categories based on seating, and range from $60 to $620, but these prices are not available to the general public.
Advertisement
Hospitality packages, which guarantee entry to multiple matches are also on sale now and start at $5,300. (Note that depending on the venue and package you select, some of these packages can cost up to $68,000 per person, and while that price includes food, drinks and premium seating, it doesn’t include travel expenses or accommodations.)
Tickets are also available through FIFA’s own resale marketplace and on third-party resale sites like StubHub already have single-game matches available, with some starting around $275 per seat and going up from there, depending on the game and venue.
Find tickets on StubHub
Find tickets on FIFA’s Ticket Resale Marketplace
Advertisement
2026 World Cup Schedule
(All times Eastern)
The 2026 World Cup will begin on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and the final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026. You can take a look at the existing schedule here.
Group Stage
June 11 – June 27, 2026
Knockout stage matches
Round of 32: June 28 – July 3, 2026
Round of 16: July 4 – July 7, 2026
Quarterfinals: July 9 – July 11, 2026
Semifinals: July 14 – 15, 2026
Bronze Final (3rd Place Match): July 18, 2026
Final: July 19, 2026
