"All 48 teams or placeholders will be divided into four pots of 12 teams, using the FIFA World Rankings list published Nov. 19. Each World Cup group will consist of one team from each pot. The hosts -- United States, Canada and Mexico -- will be placed in Pot 1, as always, and have already been assigned to specific groups. The top nine countries will join the three hosts in Pot 1, with the next 12 in Pot 2, and so on. Teams in the same pot cannot face each other in the group stage."
"The six teams to qualify through the UEFA and inter-confederation playoffs will not be known until March, when the final matches of those competitions will be held. It is expected that Pot 4 will contain placeholders for those four UEFA playoff qualifiers and two inter-confederation playoff qualifiers, as has been the case in past World Cups, but this is pending FIFA confirmation. An alternative would be assigning the playoff winners to pots based on their FIFA rankings."
The draw ceremony will be held at noon ET (5 p.m. GMT) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5. Forty-two of the 48 qualifiers are known; six spots will be decided by UEFA and inter-confederation playoffs in March. It is expected that Pot 4 will include placeholders for the four UEFA playoff winners and two inter-confederation winners, pending FIFA confirmation; an alternative would assign playoff winners to pots by FIFA ranking. All 48 entries or placeholders will be split into four pots of 12 using the FIFA World Rankings published Nov. 19. Each group will contain one team from each pot. Hosts United States, Canada and Mexico are in Pot 1 and have already been allocated to specific groups. Teams in the same pot cannot meet in the group stage. The draw will begin with Pot 1.
Read at ESPN.com
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