Uzbekistan national team placed in Pot 3 for 2026 World Cup draw

According to FIFA, the national teams have been distributed as follows:

Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, United States (hosts), Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa

Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA play-off winners (Groups A, B, C, D), FIFA intercontinental play-off winners 1 and 2

Under the draw procedure, each group will include one team from each pot, forming 12 groups of four. This means that the teams in Pot 3 – Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa – cannot face Uzbekistan in the group stage. In addition, teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn together, with the exception of UEFA, due to its larger number of participants.

The top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the play-offs.

The draw ceremony will take place on 5 December at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The event will be attended by Uzbekistan Football Association officials, national team head coach Fabio Cannavaro, members of the coaching staff, as well as Uzbek football legend Mirjalol Qosimov, who has been invited by FIFA.

The 2026 World Cup will be held from 11 June to 19 July across the United States, Canada and Mexico.