The World Cup group stage draw will be held on December 6
- Woojin Nam
- Jan 3
- 1 min read
Jan 3, 2026
Woojin Nam
Head coach Hong Myung-bo has departed for the U.S. to participate in the World Cup group stage draw. The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will take place on December 6 at 2 a.m. Korean time. The 2026 FIFA World Cup has expanded the number of participating countries to 48, which is 16 more than the previous World Cup.
As Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. are co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, they are included in Pot 1. The draw is divided into four pots, with each pot including 12 countries. One country from each pot will be placed into a group, resulting in four different countries per group. The pots are determined based on the FIFA rankings.
For the tournament, the first- and second-place teams from each group—24 countries in total—along with the eight highest-ranked third-place teams will advance, making 32 teams in the knockout stage. The Republic of Korea is included in Pot 2, as their FIFA ranking is 22. Hong Myung-bo will return to Korea after inspecting the quality of the stadium.
