2026 World Cup draw: Time and where to watch as Bafana Bafana are set for possible group with Brazil or Argentina

South African viewers can watch the event on SuperSport TV from 18:00 SAT.

FIFA has divided the 48 participants into four pots, each containing 12 teams. The co-hosts, as well as the top nine teams in the current FIFA rankings, have been seeded in Pot 1.

Pots 2 to 4 were also decided by the FIFA rankings, and that means the lowest-ranked teams to qualify and all six of the play-off winners are in Pot 4. The 12 groups for the finals will, therefore, be formed by one team from each pot.

Bafana are in pot three, which also has Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

After Mzansi learned which pot they were seeded in, fingers are now crossed as they wait to know who they will face in the group stage.

One of the FIFA rules during the draw is that no teams from the same confederation can be drawn in the same group, except for UEFA countries, as there will be 16 of them in the draw.

The draw will start with all the teams from pot 1 being drawn to groups A to L, and it will continue with pots 2, 3 and 4, respectively.

The 12 groups will include one team from each of the four pots, and FIFA will start by drawing the teams from pot one.

Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1) and the United States (D1) will have coloured balls with their flags on to denote their special status. Their group positions are predetermined, and this is to make sure that they play all their games in their own countries.

The process will then continue with pots two, three and four in order, and all 12 groups will play fixtures in the order displayed below.

Match Day 1: 1 v 2, 3 v 4

Match Day 2: 1 v 3, 4 v 2

Match Day 3: 4 v 1, 2 v 3

Based on their recent rankings, Bafana are in Pot 3, and there is a high possibility they will find themselves in the same group with either Argentina or Brazil.

There is also a high chance that the 1996 AFCON champions can find themselves in the same group as Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

As no group can have more than one team from CAF, Bafana will not find themselves in the same group with Morocco and Senegal, who are in Pot 2. However, Pot 2 still has Croatia, Uruguay, Japan, and Ecuador, who can give South Africa formidable opposition should they be grouped together.

Colombia, Switzerland, Iran, South Korea, Austria, and Australia, still in Pot 2, can be strong opposition, given that all are ranked above South Africa.

Bafana's campaign to qualify for the World Cup finals was not an easy journey.

Pooled in Group C that also had former African heavyweights Nigeria, as well as Benin, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, it meant they had to be in their best form to earn the automatic qualification slot.

It was a journey with challenges from injuries of key players like Themba Zwane, Relebohile Mofokeng and Lyle Foster to the Teboho Mokoena suspension saga.

Mokoena's suspension and related saga put Bafana's qualification dream in deep jeopardy as FIFA deducted their points by three after it became clear he was illegitimately fielded against Lesotho in March.

This suspension came at a critical juncture of the qualification process, and the point deduction reduced the gap between South Africa, Benin and Nigeria, giving Mzansi's rivals an advantage in the race.

However, determined Hugo Broos and his charge held together and finally finished as group leaders, thereby qualifying for the finals automatically.

The draw in Washington is expected to serve not only football-related content but also entertainment. Comedian Kevin Hart, model Heidi Klum, and actor Danny Ramirez are set to be on stage. Live performances from Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and pop stars Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams will also serve as extra entertainment.

North American sporting icons Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal, and Aaron Judge have been called up to help conduct the draw, which will be conducted by English Premier League and Champions League winner Rio Ferdinand, alongside host Samantha Johnson.

US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino will also be present and are expected to be involved in one way or another during the draw.