Bafana Bafana Prepare for World Cup Draw in Washington

The weight of South Africa’s return to the FIFA World Cup is set to grow today as the draw for the 2026 tournament takes place in Washington, USA. The draw will shape Hugo Broos’ planning for next year and will confirm the teams Bafana Bafana must face in the group stage.

The three host nations are already locked into Pot 1. Mexico will head Group A, Canada will start in Group B, and USA will begin in Group D. Mexico will play the opening match on Thursday 11 June 2026 at the Mexico City Stadium.

South Africa will be drawn from Pot 3. This means they will face one team from Pot 1. Their possible opponents from the top pot include Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

From Pot 2, Bafana could face Croatia, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria or Australia. They cannot be drawn with Morocco. Confederation rules apply. Teams from the same region cannot meet in the group stage except UEFA, which has more teams than groups. Four groups will have two European sides.

Pot 3 teams cannot be drawn together. South Africa will avoid Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Pot 4 is partly confirmed. The teams already locked in are Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti and New Zealand. Six more will join them from the UEFA and intercontinental play offs in March. Bafana cannot face Cabo Verde or Ghana. They will also avoid Curacao and Haiti if their group already has a CONCACAF team.

If South Africa land only one UEFA team from Pot 1 or Pot 2, they could face any of the European play off winners. Canada, Mexico and USA are all from CONCACAF, which will influence how the confederation balance rule is applied.

Once the draw is completed, FIFA will release the updated match schedule on Saturday 6 December. This will confirm venues and kickoff times for Bafana’s matches across the 16 stadiums in the three host nations.

The SAFA delegation attending the draw includes Dr Danny Jordaan, Hugo Broos, Vincent Tseka, Errol Madlala, Veronica Mokoena and Mninawa Ntloko. Their task is to map out the journey ahead as South Africa prepares for its return to the biggest stage in world football.