Debutants, heat and distance shape mood ahead of 2026 World Cup draw

PARIS, Dec 2 : Debutants will take centre stage at Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw along with concerns over heat, player welfare and the practical challenge of staging football’s biggest tournament across three countries during the peak of a North American summer.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., producing a 104-match schedule across 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA has framed the expansion as a watershed moment for inclusivity, opening the door for nations that had never qualified before - Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Curacao, which, with a population of 150,000, is by far the smallest nation to take part. 

Others, such as Haiti, return after long waits while Italy still need a playoff to try to avoid the embarrassment of missing out on their third World Cup in a row.

The scale of the tournament is heightening scrutiny over conditions for players and supporters, particularly in venues where summer temperatures regularly climb into the high 30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit).

U.S. host cities, notably in the Midwest, the Southeast and parts of the Southwest, are expected to experience extreme heat and high humidity during June and July, with thunderstorms potentially wreaking havoc with the schedule.

This year’s Club World Cup in the U.S. served as a dress rehearsal and scorching heat was a major concern.

Medical experts and players’ unions have raised fears of heat stress, dehydration and reduced recovery times, especially in a format where sides may need to play up to eight matches to lift the trophy – one more than in the 32-team events of the past.

FIFA has highlighted the use of