Five Things to Know About the World Cup Draw

Next summer, the USA and 23 other countries will participate in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. One of the most important events prior to the World Cup is on Dec. 8 when all the teams learn their group stage opponents at the Final Draw which will be staged at Le Seine Musicale, a music and performing arts center in Paris. The entire show can be seen at 12 p.m. ET on FS2, Telemundo, Universo and the FOX Sports App.

Before the 24 World Cup-bound teams learn their paths to Lyon where the World Cup Final will held on July 7, here are five things to know about the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final Draw:

SIX GROUPS OF FOUR TEAMS EACH

The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Draw is the main event to kickstart the 2019 Women’s World Cup festivities. The qualified countries will be drawn into six groups of four teams each and will not only learn their opponents, but also the game dates, and the stadiums and cities in which they will be playing.

Just like in 2015, this World Cup will include 24 participating countries which are (in alphabetical order): France (host), Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China PR, England, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea Republic, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the USA.

While seven countries – Brazil, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden and the USA – have qualified for every Women’s World Cup contested – France 2019 will mark the World Cup debut for four other nations: Chile, Jamaica, Scotland and South Africa.

HOW DOES THE DRAW WORK?

We get it, trying to understand how the Draw works can be a bit daunting, so we’ll break it down for you and make it as simple as possible.

The key thing to know is that prior to the Draw the 24 teams will be put into four pots of six teams each based on their FIFA Rankings – highest ranked teams in Pot 1, next six teams in Pot 2, etc. The teams will then be drawn into six groups, A through F, with each group containing four teams.

BUT CAN YOU GET MORE SPECIFIC?

We sure can.

• Pot 1 includes six seeded teams – the highest ranked teams – and features host France and the USA. The other four teams in Pot 1 are Australia, Canada, England and Germany. All seeded teams will be drawn into different groups and all will occupy the number 1 position in their respective groups. France, due to its hosting duties, will automatically take position A1 in Group A and plays its opening match in Paris at Parc de Princes on June 7.
• Pot 2 is comprised of the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Brazil, Spain and Norway. Pot 3 includes Korea Republic, China PR, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland and Thailand, while Pot 4 includes Argentina, Chile, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Jamaica.
• With Europe as the exception, two teams from any of the other qualifying zones cannot be drawn into the same group, so the USA cannot be in a group with either Canada or Jamaica. As there are nine total countries from Europe, all six groups will have a minimum of one team from Europe and three groups will have maximum of two European teams.

HOW CAN I WATCH IT?

The Draw will take place on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 with the ceremony beginning at 12 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local time) at La Seine Musicale music and performing arts center in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), which is in the suburbs of Paris. FOX Sports will offer extensive Women’s World Cup draw coverage beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS2 and the FOX Sports app. Note: that if you subscribe to FS1 but do not have FS2 on your cable TV or satellite provider, you can stream the Draw via the FOX Sports app.

Spanish coverage will be available on Telemundo and Universo and through their Telemundo Deportes En Vivo app beginning at 11:55 a.m. ET on Dec. 8.

ONCE WE KNOW THE USA’S GROUP, HOW CAN I GET TICKETS?

Good question. To stay up-to-date with our ticket sales and get the latest information, visit our FAN HUB and learn more about ticket purchasing options, fan events taking place in France, and travel information to France.

There are two options for tickets that will be available for purchase in the FAN HUB : The “Follow My Team” package and the Individual Match Tickets. If you sign up to receive information, U.S. Soccer will alert you about on sale dates as well as any important news that you may need to know.

Tickets are currently scheduled to go on sale on December 19th for all fans!

Please note that while tickets will available on a first come, first serve basis, U.S. Soccer Circle members and Members will have early access to purchase tickets in the U.S. Soccer allotment. Circle members supporting the U.S. Soccer Development Fund will have first access to tickets, followed by U.S. Soccer members, and then the general public.

Learn more about Circles here or becoming a U.S. Soccer member here . Information about VIP & Travel Programs with the U.S. Soccer Patrons Program to France can be found here .