World Cup 2026 draw time, TV channel and Ireland playoff details
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, speaks with the FIFA World Cup Trophy during the VIP Welcome Reception ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw(Image: Michael Regan - FIFA via Getty Images)Ireland is set to learn their potential World Cup adversaries when the tournament draw takes place in Washington DC.Troy Parrott's stellar performances against Hungary and Portugal last month clinched second place for Ireland in their World Cup qualifying group. They are now a mere two games away from participating in the tournament, scheduled to be held in America, Canada, and Mexico next summer.The Boys in Green will face off against the Czech Republic in a semi-final play-off in Prague on 26 March. If they triumph in that match, they'll go head-to-head with the victors of Denmark v North Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium five days later for a spot at the World Cup, reports the Irish Mirror.Ireland falls under the fourth UEFA Play-off, so keep an eye out for UEFA Play-off #4 during the draw. Like all play-off matches, they're in Pot 4 for the draw.Here's what you need to know about the draw:Where and when is it happening?The draw is set to take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C on Friday, 5 December.US President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are anticipated to participate in a ceremonial ball draw.What time does it kick off?The draw ceremony is slated to begin at 5pm Irish time, but remember, it's a ceremony. The actual draw might commence somewhat later.The event is expected to span two hours, with performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Village People lined up.Which TV channel is broadcasting it?The draw will be broadcast live on RTE 2 and the RTE Player, with coverage commencing at 5pm.Pots in full.Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4Which cities are staging matches?USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.Quotes cornerIreland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson on play-off draw: "It was always going to be a tricky and difficult first match," said Hallgrimsson. All the (four possible) teams playing at home, higher ranked than us – I really didn't mind which one it was."Maybe we thought Poland would be the trickiest one, but all of the others are similar. But we're on a high at the moment, long may that continue, that we keep on improving."It was kind of funny to see the reaction of who were there. Some were disappointed to be in the play-offs, others were excited to be in the play-offs."It was mixed emotions, looking at the coaches and speaking to them before. But we're happy we're here. This is what we wanted. And now we need to maximise the moment."World Cup outright betting oddsSpain 4/1England 6/1France 7/1Brazil 7/1Argentina 17/2Portugal 12/1Germany 12/1Netherlands 20/1Norway 20/1Uruguay 33/1Belgium 40/1Colombia 40/1Italy 40/166/1 barIreland 500/1Northern Ireland 1000/1Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
