(NEXSTAR) -- The best soccer players in the world will don their nation's uniform next summer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in their quest for the most sought after trophy in the sport. For the first time ever, the FIFA World Cup will be played by 48 teams (previously 32), 42 of which have already punched their direct tickets to the tournament. Up next is the official draw taking place at 12 pm ET on December 5, 2025, from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. There, the groups for next summer's tournament will be selected. Before teams are drawn, qualified teams will be divided into four pots based on where they sit in the latest FIFA Men's World Rankings. except for the hosts, United States, Mexico and Canada, who are automatically placed in Pot 1, along with the 9 remaining top ranked teams. From those four pots, teams will be selected at random, while satisfying a set of conditions: Here are the latest FIFA Men's World Rankings as of November 19, 2025: With six spots remaining for the World Cup next summer, there will be six placeholders selected during the draw. Each placeholder will be filled with the respective winners in the UEFA playoffs and the inter-confederation playoffs. UEFA will have their own 16-team playoff tournament to fill the confederation's last four slots to the tournament. The 16 teams were drawn into four paths, with the winner of each path qualifying for the World Cup. That leaves two World Cup slots for the inter-confederation playoff, also being played in March. Six teams from different confederations who just missed out on a direct qualifying slot were drawn into two paths, with the winner of each path punching their ticket to the tournament. DR Congo (56) and Iraq (58) were drawn directly into the final of each playoff path based on their current FIFA Men's World Ranking. Along with learning their group opponents, the draw will also determine what stadiums each nation will play in.