<p>Anticipation for football's biggest spectacle is really starting to heat up, with the group stage draw for the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/soccer/world-cup/mens-world-cup/fifa-world-cup-2026-outrights-7009197">2026 FIFA World Cup</a> about to take place in the coming weeks.</p> <p>For the first time ever, the 2026 World Cup will see 48 nations do battle for football’s ultimate prize. This is thanks to a brand-new format that sees the field expanded from the traditional 32 teams.</p> <p>With Australia having secured qualification for what will be their sixth consecutive World Cup, naturally everyone Down Under is desperate to know when the World Cup Draw is, how it works and who we will draw.</p> <p>While we won’t know who Australia will play until the draw, we do have all the info on when and where it will take place, how it works and where to watch it live.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Where is the FIFA World Cup Draw Being Held?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The group stage draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in Washington DC at the prestigious Kennedy Center.</p> <p>Seeing as the USA will serve as the main hosts of the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, its capital city is a very appropriate place to hold the official draw.</p> <p>The official group stage draw will take place at noon local time and shape the path for 48 nations competing in the expanded tournament format.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>How Does the FIFA World Cup Draw Work?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The 2026 World Cup draw utilises FIFA's November 19 world rankings to distribute teams across four pots of 12.</p> <p>Each group will contain one representative from each pot, ensuring balanced competition whilst preventing teams from identical confederations meeting in the group stage - except for UEFA nations due to their substantial 16-team representation.</p> <p>Australia has secured a position in Pot 2, joining an impressive lineup including Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador and Austria. This placement positions the Socceroos favourably, avoiding potential early clashes with these aforementioned football powerhouses.</p> <p>Pot 1 features the three host nations - United States, Mexico and Canada – by default, alongside football's elite: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.</p> <p>These seeded teams benefit from avoiding each other during the group phase, though their paths will inevitably converge in knockout stages.</p> <p>Pot 3 comprises emerging nations and regional qualifiers including Panama, Norway, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.</p> <p>The final pot accommodates remaining qualifiers and playoff winners, creating intriguing possibilities for underdog stories.</p> <p>Six positions in the draw are yet to be filled and will be done so through playoff competitions scheduled for March 2026.</p> <p>The UEFA playoffs feature four distinct paths, each containing semi-finals and finals to determine World Cup berths.</p> <p>Notable European playoff matchups include Italy facing Northern Ireland, whilst Wales takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Path A.</p> <p>Path B sees Ukraine meeting Sweden and Poland confronting Albania. These high-stakes encounters will determine which European nations join the world stage.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the interconfederation playoffs present equally compelling scenarios, with DR Congo and Iraq receiving advantageous seeded positions based on FIFA rankings.</p> <p>Jamaica represents CONCACAF interests alongside Suriname, whilst New Caledonia and Bolivia complete the playoff picture. These matches, hosted in Mexico across Guadalajara and Monterrey, will finalise the 48-team lineup.</p> <p>It is still unclear whether Pot 4 will simply contain placeholders for these qualifiers, or if they will be assigned to pots after the playoffs based on their FIFA World Rankings.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Where to Watch the FIFA World Cup Draw in Australia</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>No doubt Aussie football fans will want to watch the Socceroos World Cup fate unfold in real time and luckily, the 2026 World Cup Draw will be free for everyone Down Under to watch.</p> <p>The official World Cup Draw will broadcast live from Washington DC at 4:00am AEDT Saturday December 6 on both SBS and SBS On Demand.</p> <p>For those who like to sleep in on the weekends, there will be a replay on both platforms later that day at 2:30pm AEDT.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>FIFA World Cup Draw Details</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Where:</strong> Kennedy Center, Washington DC, USA.</p> <p><strong>When:</strong> Saturday, December 6, 4:00am AEDT.</p> <p><strong>Where to watch:</strong> SBS and SBS On Demand.&nbsp;</p>