16:00 CET - We are only two hours away from the start of the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington!
As the excitement (and nerves) grow, it’s a good time to introduce the fact that Flashscore has reporters on the ground in the US capital, who have been following the buildup to the event and will provide comment throughout the day.
The snow is tumbling down in Washington, and we are all starting to wonder: Who is my team going to get in the World Cup group stage?
Not sure how the draw works? Just scroll down for all the key information!
15:00 CET - Today is the day we learn who will play who in the group stage of next year's FIFA World Cup in North America, with the draw to be held at Washington's Kennedy Center, from 18:00 CET. Here, we will provide live updates throughout the draw so you can find out your nation's fate for the finals.
How does the draw work?
In short, of the 48 nations that will compete at the World Cup, 42 have been determined, with the final six to be identified in March via the playoffs.
The 42 confirmed nations plus six playoff berths have been organised into four seeding pots, largely based on the FIFA rankings. All six playoff winners are in Pot 4, regardless of which nations claim those berths.
Check out who's qualified for the World Cup here.
The teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four, with one participant from each pot drawn into each group. The draw will begin with all the teams from Pot 1 being drawn to groups A to L. It will then continue with Pots 2, 3 and 4 in that order.
There are a few rules guiding the draw: No more than two European nations can be in each group, and no two non-European nations from the same confederations can be drawn together. In a new rule, the top two nations based on FIFA rankings (Spain and Argentina) will be placed on either side of the knockout pathway, as will the third and fourth-ranked sides (France and England).
Below are the pots for the draw:
Pot 1: USA, Canada, Mexico (hosts), Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, the four winners of the European Play-Offs, and the two winners of the FIFA Play-Off Tournament
Tune in from 18:00 CET to find out who is going to play who in football's biggest event! Or, you can watch the draw live on FIFA.com or FIFA's YouTube channel.
