South Korea will take on Mexico, South Africa, and a European playoff qualifier in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The draw for the 23rd edition of football's premier event took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Friday (local time).

Al Jazeera answers all the key questions around football's 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

World Cup Qualifiers officially ended in November, with different confederations concluding their respective qualifying matches. 42 national teams have qualified directly for the 2026 World Cup, and six teams will be competing for a spot in the tournament in March 2026.

A total of 16 UEFA nations will compete at the 48-team FIFA World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Check out the competition format and how the qualifiers will be decided.

When it comes to the 2026 World Cup draw, the No. 1 winner is the United States men's national team, and there's a distance between the USMNT and Winner No. 2.

Curaçao, as well as Haiti and Panama, secured spots in the 2026 World Cup through Concacaf qualifying. Curaçao will be making its World Cup debut in 2026. With Canada, Mexico and the United States co-hosting the tournament,

On Friday, FIFA held the draw for the largest World Cup ever, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11, 2026, through July 19, 2026.