The World Cup draw places Arab teams in groups of varying levels
Washington, December 5, 2026 – The final draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup divided the Arab teams into groups of varying levels, within 12 groups announced by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), after 42 teams were distributed among them, while leaving 6 seats vacant for the teams that qualified from the global and European play-offs, to complete the list of 48 teams participating in the finals.
The World Cup draw was held today in a grand celebration at the John F. Kennedy Center. Kennedy Historical Arts Center in Washington, DC, in the presence of US President Donald Trump, in preparation for the United States, Canada and Mexico organizing the World Cup finals next summer, which will witness for the first time the participation of 48 teams, including 7 Arab teams.
According to the group standings, the draw resulted in the Qatari team being in the second group alongside Canada, Switzerland, and a European playoff qualifier, while the Moroccan team was in the third group with Brazil, Haiti, and Scotland.
The Tunisian team came in the sixth group alongside the Netherlands and Japan and qualified from the European playoff, while the Egyptian team finished in the seventh group with Belgium, Iran and New Zealand.
The Saudi team also came in the eighth group, along with Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.
The tenth group included two Arab teams, Algeria and Jordan, along with Argentina and Austria.
The identity of 6 of the 48 participating teams is still incomplete, as it will be decided in March 2026. 4 teams qualify from the European playoff, which includes 16 teams, while 6 teams, including the Iraqi team, compete for two places through the global playoff, which are: Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, and Suriname.
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