2034 World Cup Draw: Everything You Need to Know

With qualification campaigns now underway across all six confederations, attention is beginning to turn to one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the World Cup calendar — the group stage draw. Here is everything you need to know about how the 2034 FIFA World Cup draw will work, when it will take place, and what it means for the competing nations.

The draw will take place in Riyadh, most likely at a purpose-built ceremony venue in the city centre, in late 2033 — once all 48 qualified nations have been confirmed. FIFA has not yet announced the exact date, but the draw is expected to be held approximately six months before the tournament begins, giving teams sufficient time to prepare their schedules and logistics.

The 48 qualified teams will be divided into four seeding pots of 12 teams each, based on the FIFA World Rankings at the time of the draw. Pot 1 will contain the highest-ranked teams, including Saudi Arabia as the host nation regardless of their ranking. Teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn into the same group, with the exception of UEFA, which will have multiple teams in each group given its allocation of 16 places.

The 12 groups of four teams will be drawn sequentially, with one team drawn from each pot into each group. Geographic and commercial considerations — such as avoiding matches between teams from the same country or region — will also be taken into account, as they have been at previous World Cups.

The group stage format will see each team play three matches, with the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32. This means that even a team that finishes third in their group has a realistic chance of progressing — a feature of the 48-team format that has been widely praised for keeping more nations in contention for longer.

For fans planning their World Cup trip, the draw is a crucial moment — it determines which matches will be played in which cities, and therefore which venues and dates to prioritise for ticket purchases. FIFA has confirmed that the match schedule will be published within 48 hours of the draw, with ticket sales for the general public opening shortly thereafter.