The 2026 World Cup Draw

By Valerie Merkowitz

On Friday, Dec. 5, the first stage groups of the 2026 World Cup, being held in the United States, were drawn. The ceremony was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where every qualifying country was placed into one of 12 groups A-L, with four teams in each group.

The U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) was drawn into Group D along with Paraguay, Australia, and a fourth team to be determined from the UEFA Path C playoff, which will either be Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo. The official schedule was announced the following day, Dec. 6, revealing the USMNT’s first game will be against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12. Afterwards, they will play Australia in Seattle on June 19. Fans are excited for this group stage and to see the USMNT’s performance in it.

The World Cup draw was held following the awarding of President Donald Trump with FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize. This prize was created by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. As a part of the president’s desire to be recognized with peace awards, it was revealed, but not commented on, that FIFA’s new prize was created and coordinated with Trump beforehand. Trump had other demands in relation to the prize, such as the award matching the size of the actual World Cup Trophy.

Another subject of controversy after the drawing was the timing and location of the World Cup final. It was announced that the final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey at 3 p.m. This brought up concerns for some of the timing and extreme afternoon heat, especially since MetLife Stadium has an open roof, leaving players and spectators to be affected by the climate. In response to these concerns, chief tournament officer Manolo Zubiria said there will be “measures to mitigate the heat.”

Despite some controversies, people across the country are excited for the approaching World Cup happening in their backyards and looking forward to seeing how the USMNT does this year.