World Cup 2026 draw live: England, Scotland and hosts USA discover group stage opponents and routes to final

Thomas Tuchel has touched down at the Kennedy Center, and he’s looking dapper!

Can he lead England to a first World Cup in 60 years? We’ll find out who the Three Lions will be facing in a short while.

Adding a significant dose of Hollywood glamour, supermodel Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart, and Top Gun: Maverick actor Danny Ramirez will host the proceedings from the prestigious John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.

From Troy Parrott’s heroics in Hungary to the ridiculous euphoria of Hampden, from Haiti and Curacao’s unlikely qualification to Cristiano Ronaldo’s spectacular moment headloss.

What was your favourite highlight?

If you thought the Trump-Infantino backslapping would hold off until the start of the draw ceremony, you were wrong

Spotting Gianni Infantino in the audience during a Washington ceremony marking a peace treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Donald Trump congratulated him for what he described as record-breaking ticket demand for the first 48-team World Cup.

“Gianni, thank you very much,” Trump said. “You’ve done a fantastic job, a great leader in sports and a great gentleman.

“I can report to you that we have sold more tickets than any country anywhere in the world at this stage of the game.”

Chief football writer Miguel Delaney’s latest Inside Football newsletter digs into the unusual spectacle unfolding at the Kennedy Center – yes, that includes Trump, Fifa’s inaugural peace prize, baffled players, and a show of political theatre you won’t see anywhere else.

This excerpt is just the tip of the iceberg. Get the full story delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for the members-only Friday edition here.

Thinking of heading out to North America to watch the World Cup? Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has some travel advice…

There have been plenty of critics of this bizarre peace prize. Human Rights Watch wrote a letter to Fifa demanding answers to the following questions, according to The Athletic, but has not received a response.

US President Donald Trump will preside over the World Cup draw tonight in a ceremony filled with pomp, pageantry and lavish performances fit for a showman.

The event is being held in Washington at the Kennedy Center, which Trump took over earlier this year, installing a new president and board. Trump’s attendance at the World Cup event puts him front and centre at a major moment in the world of sport, and the planners clearly had him in mind when putting it together. The popular disco band Village People will perform a version of “YMCA” a staple on Trump’s political rally playlist, while Fifa plans to unveil its own, brand new peace prize.

The expected recipient? Trump himself.

The intercontinental play-offs will provide the final two places at the World Cup. There will be two semi-finals and two finals, oddly, with DR Congo and Iraq already through and awaiting their opponent.

These games will take place in March, too.

The winner will play DR Congo in the final for a place at the World Cup.

The winner will play Iraq in the final for a place at the World Cup.