Although we’ve known when and how many games Seattle will be hosting in this summer’s World Cup for almost two years, the exact opponents have remained unknown even as tickets have been on sale for months.
That changes on Friday when FIFA will conduct the full draw that will determine all the groups and matchups, starting at 9 AM PT in Washington D.C. The draw will air live on Fox, Telemundo and FIFA.com. In a change from past World Cups, however, the exact timing of the matchups will be announced 24 hours later in a separate event in an effort that “aims to ensure the best possible conditions for all teams and spectators while, where possible, enabling fans all over the world to watch their teams play live across different time zones.”
What we know
Seattle will be hosting four of those group-stage matches and then host Rounds of 32 (July 1) and 16 (July 6) matches later in the tournament.
Among those matches is Game 2 for the United States on June 19, which will be against the opponent it draws from Pot 2 of the draw. With the four pots having already been determined based on FIFA rankings, the USA’s possible opponents for that game are Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia. Only the hosts have pre-assigned groups, meaning Seattle’s other three group stage games could include virtually any of the other participants.
Seattle will also host the second Group G match (June 15), a final-day Group B match (June 24) and final-day Group G match (June 26).
For those matches, it has already been determined that the first one will be teams from Pots 2 and 4; the Group B match will be teams from Pots 3 and 4; and the final Group G match will feature the group’s top-seeded team against a Pot 4 opponent.
The tournament will feature 48 teams in total, but so far only 42 have been determined. The final six spots will go to four European teams who are still competing in playoffs, plus the winners of two Intercontinental playoffs. All six of those teams will be placed in Pot 4.
Pots
Pot 1: Canada (Concacaf), Mexico (Concacaf), United States (Concacaf), Spain (UEFA), Argentina (CONMEBOL), France (UEFA), England (UEFA), Brazil (CONMEBOL), Portugal (UEFA), Netherlands (UEFA), Belgium (UEFA), Germany (UEFA).
Pot 2: Croatia (UEFA), Morocco (CAF), Colombia (CONMEBOL), Uruguay (CONMEBOL), Switzerland (UEFA), Japan (AFC), Senegal (CAF), Iran (AFC), South Korea (AFC), Ecuador (CONMEBOL), Austria (UEFA), Australia (AFC)
Pot 3: Norway (UEFA), Panama (Concacaf), Egypt (CAF), Algeria (CAF), Scotland (UEFA), Paraguay (CONMEBOL), Tunisia (CAF), Ivory Coast (CAF), Uzbekistan (AFC), Qatar (AFC), Saudi Arabia (AFC), South Africa (CAF)
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde (CAF), Ghana (CAF), Curaçao (Concacaf), Haiti (Concacaf), New Zealand (Oceania), UEFA Playoff A (Italy vs. Northern Ireland; Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina), UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine vs. Sweden; Poland vs. Albania); UEFA Playoff C (Turkey vs. Romania; Slovakia vs. Kosovo); UEFA Playoff D (Denmark vs. North Macedonia; Czechia vs. Ireland); FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament 1 (New Caledonia vs. Jamaica; Congo DR); FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament 2 (Bolivia vs. Suriname; Iraq).
World Cup schedule
Group stage: June 11-27
Round of 32: June 28 - July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Third place: July 18
Final: July 19
Simulator results
We've run a bunch of simulations using this tool. Here's a sampling of some of the games that could end up in Seattle:
- June 15: South Korea vs. Curzçao; Australia vs. Jamaica; Ecuador vs. Ghana
- June 19: United States vs. Switzerland; United States vs. Croatia; United States vs. South Korea
- June 24: Jordan vs. Scotland; Italy vs. Ivory Coast; DR Congo vs. Paraguay
- June 26: Curaçao vs. Belgium; Jamaica vs. England; Ghana vs. Germany
