Arsene Wenger has vowed that the World Cup will deliver on its promise as the most magnificent spectacle on the planet. The former Arsenal manager, who now serves as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, made this commitment to guarantee that football's governing body will make next summer an absolutely triumphant affair. Wenger spoke with great enthusiasm at last summer's Club World Cup, which nearly served as a practice run for the main tournament scheduled for June and July.

FIFA harbours ambitious aspirations for the 2026 World Cup. Wenger admitted the playing surfaces "were not perfect" - a view shared by Chelsea captain Reece James, who guided his team to victory in the competition. Scorching temperatures proved problematic, with players and their representatives demanding that matches shouldn't take place in blistering conditions.

The Frenchman represents the perfect ambassador for FIFA, having been outspoken as a club boss when criticising international football and major competitions. Now he stands as one of the key figures ensuring everything runs smoothly.

To FIFA's credit, they have paid attention, and whilst kick-off schedules remain unconfirmed, it is the reason why the draw has essentially become a two-day affair. England and Scotland will learn their group opponents on Friday during the main draw, while the teams in the play-offs, including Northern Ireland and Wales, have also been invited to participate.

Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel will attend coaching workshops over two days of discussions in Washington, where they are expected to finalise 26-player squads for the 48-team competition, which includes an additional round of matches compared to 2022.

Kick-off times and venues for the tournament, commencing on June 11, will be a significant topic of discussion among the managers.

Tuchel has already acknowledged that he prefers matches to begin later, even if this means they are played in the early hours rather than during prime-time European slots.

This will not be welcomed by supporters back home and could cost pubs and clubs millions in lost revenue if matches kick off well past midnight, as they did at the Club World Cup.

However, the major European teams are likely to receive a combination of prime-time slots and later kick-off times to ensure everyone gets a fair share.

The United States features 'indoor stadiums' which can host matches under a roof with complete air conditioning, and the stadium in Atlanta serves as a spectacular example.

Los Angeles and Dallas possess similar stadiums and facilities, while the final on July 19 is anticipated to kick off at 3pm local time in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is 8pm UK time.

The draw will extend into Saturday, as while the teams will learn their opponents on Friday, they will only receive their full match schedule, dates and venues 24 hours later.

This is clearly to manage a more demanding schedule, with TV companies also eagerly awaiting the announcement of England's opponents.

England could potentially face Scotland, and due to the sequence in which the pots are drawn, teams in pots two and three have a statistically higher chance of being paired with a top seed than the UEFA play-off qualifiers, which could include Wales or Northern Ireland.

Norway could be a surprise contender, and it's noteworthy that their global superstar, Erling Haaland, will be represented in Washington as his father, Alfie, flew out to the US on Wednesday.

The old TV tradition of tossing a coin to decide who gets first pick on England games still exists, and it will be up to the BBC and ITV to make the choice. There's always some strategic decision-making involved, whether to opt for an extra group match or hold out for the knock-out stages.

The draw will also feature US President Donald Trump, and, judging by his antics when Chelsea received the trophy at the Club World Cup, he will likely want to be in the spotlight.

Details of the draw

Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.

Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, four European playoff teams, two intercontinental playoff teams.

Additional Details

Teams will be allocated to their respective groups during the draw, but the full schedule will not be revealed until Saturday, when FIFA hosts another glamorous event to announce the stadiums, kick-off times and venues. Therefore, England will discover their opponents after Friday's draw.

However, the FIFA World Cup wall chart provides a clear picture: matches, rather than teams, will be assigned to specific stadium venues. The exact locations of England's matches will only be confirmed after Saturday's announcement, scheduled for 6pm.

England's ideal scenario would be to land in Group J, as this could potentially lead to them playing two matches in Kansas City, the location of their preferred World Cup training base.

The venues are divided into Western Regions (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles), Central Regions (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City), and finally, Eastern Regions (Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey).

For the first time in history, the draw will be divided in a manner similar to tennis seedings, ensuring that the top four teams won't meet until the semi-finals, provided they win their respective groups. This means that the top four seeds, Spain, Argentina, France and England, could potentially face off in the semi-finals, reminiscent of the era of tennis greats Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

England will establish a training base in Florida, utilising Inter Miami's facilities, where they will also play two friendly matches. They are required to submit their preferred training base option by January 10.

Tickets for the World Cup will be available for purchase from December 11.