The 2026 World Cup drawing took place earlier today in Washington, DC, with the presidents of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico present. The event established which teams will play in which groups, along with key details on where they will play, enabling fans (at last) to plan their trips to see their favorite national teams in action.
The 2026 World Cup is the first to feature 48 teams, which is 50% more than in all previous tournaments, where there were 32 teams.
Mexico will achieve a major milestone with the 2026 World Cup, no matter how its team performs. This is because Mexico is the only country in the world to host the tournament three times (it previously hosted in 1970 and 1986), putting it in an elite group of football nations.
That’s enough history for now. Let’s look at how the group stage shook out in today’s lottery.
Which Teams Will Play in Mexico & Where
Groups A, F, H, and K are playing in Mexico. The Mexican national team is in Group A.
The United States is in Group D and will play its matches in the U.S. Canada is in Group B and will play all of its matches in Canada.
Below is everything we know about the group stage games to be played in Mexico.
On June 11, 2026
- Mexico vs. South Africa (Group A) will be played in Mexico City
- South Korea vs. UEFA playoff D (Group A) will be played in Guadalajara
On June 18, 2026
A tantalizing matchup between Mexico and South Korea will be played in Guadalajara.
On June 20, 2026
Either the Netherlands vs. UEFA playoff B (Group F) or Tunisia vs. Japan will be played in Monterrey.
On June 23, 2026
Either Portugal vs. Uzbekistan or Colombia vs. FIFA playoff 1 (Group K) will be played in Guadalajara.
On June 24, 2026
- Mexico vs. UEFA playoff D (Group A) will be played in Mexico City
- South Korea vs. South Africa (Group A) will be played in Monterrey
On June 26, 2026
Either Uruguay vs. Spain or Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H) will be played in Guadalajara. (Can you imagine the mayhem if it’s Uruguay vs. Spain??)
There are now only 188 days left until the first kick off…
Credit: Live Well Mexico
Getting World Cup Tickets
For those thinking about attending the World Cup in Mexico, be sure to check out my previous article on enjoying the world’s greatest futbol fiesta in La Perla de Tapatia, as Guadalajara is known locally.
And if you want to buy tickets to attend the games, be prepared to endure a Kafkaesque process designed by FIFA that involves:
- Trying your luck in the December-January FIFA lottery system that opens on December 11 and continues through January 13.
- Buying a hospitality package (this route should be called the “billionaires’ option”)
- Scouring myriad resale platforms, including FIFA’s, most of which charge huge markups.
- Seeking tickets through individual country allocations via participating national soccer federations (each creating its own system for eligibility and distribution), or
- Joining the “last-minute” scrum described by FIFA as the “first-come-first-served” phase, with no one quite sure which tickets will still be available by then.
If you don’t succeed with any of the above (or are priced out), you can still watch games around town at myriad sports bars or for free in the historic Plaza de la Liberación in the Centro, at the Guadalajara fan festival.