FERWAFA President Fabrice Shema was in attendance during the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center held last night in Washington DC, an event which revealed the matchups for next summer’s tournament in North America.

The glitzy event was attended by the leaders of the three co-hosts: US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. 

Among global leaders in attendance was also the President of Rwanda HE Paul Kagame. 

In attendance also was the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda, Ambassador Martin Ngoga who also serves as the chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee of the world football governing body (FIFA).

Brazil-Morocco, Netherlands-Japan and a rematch between France and 2002 conquerors Senegal were among the standout fixtures to emerge, while debutants Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan can look forward to mouth-watering match-ups against Spain, Germany, Argentina and Portugal respectively. 

Mexico-South Africa was also confirmed as the tournament's Opening Match in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June 2026.

The 12 groups below were drawn in an event conducted by former England captain Rio Ferdinand, with sporting icons Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal serving as assistants. Kevin Hart, Heidi Klum and Danny Ramirez hosted a star-studded draw show that opened with a spine-tingling performance by Andrea Bocelli and also saw Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Lauryn Hill and the Village People entertain the watching world.