30 Nov Everything you need to know about the 2018 FIFA World Cup Draw

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off in exactly 195 days and all of us here at AC&M are as excited as anybody. With qualifiers ending and all 32 teams confirmed, the excitement now shifts to the official World Cup Draw.

Not familiar with the draw? Fear not, we will fill you in with all the details below.

How does it work?

Most importantly, it is imperative that you understand how the draw works before you tune in. Thirty-two teams from countries around the world have secured their spot in Russia.

This is where it gets a little tricky:

• There are a total of 4 different pots that will be drawn from.
• Pot 1 contains the host country, Russia, and the seven teams that have the highest FIFA ranking. Pot 2 will contain the next 8 highest ranked teams. This process will be repeated for Pot 3 and 4.
• These 32 teams will be drawn into eight groups of four. These groups are labeled A-H.
• Pots 1-4 will be completely emptied by drawing each of their eight teams into a different group.

Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart in separate groups. For Example, Brazil and Argentina will not be allowed to be drawn into the same group. An exception is made for UEFA teams, with FIFA stating that up to two teams from the European confederation can be drawn into the same group. Why is that? Europe contains the largest group of qualified teams, so this is almost inevitable.

When does it take place?

The draw will take place on Friday, December 1 in Moscow Russia at the State Kremlin Palace.

How to watch?

The draw will be aired live on FOX Sports 1 and Telemundo, with coverage starting at 9:30 AM Eastern time. Streaming options will also be available on FIFA.com.

How can you be part of the action?

We teamed up with Sports Endeavors and our friends over at FOX Sports to create a World Cup Simulator leading up to the official draw on December 1. You can make your predictions on how the draw will turn out by visiting HERE.

Be sure to simulate your own interactive 2018 World Cup scenarios and share your result with friends!