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Next year's FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and we now know which teams will play each other in the first round. The draw for the group stage was announced yesterday at a ceremony in Washington. The tournament will take place next summer in the U.S., Canada and here in Mexico, where I'm based. NPR's Becky Sullivan has more.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: The U.S. Men's National Team has been on a bit of a hot streak this fall. The Americans have gone unbeaten in their past five games, including wins over Paraguay and Australia. Now, next year, they'll face those two teams again in the group stage of the World Cup. Here's U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams.
TYLER ADAMS: I think it's exciting to be familiar with the opponents that we're going to play against, but I think everyone knows that nothing is like a World Cup game.
SULLIVAN: The Americans' third group stage opponent will be determined by a miniature playoff held next March. It could be Turkey, Slovakia, Romania or Kosovo. Overall, that's a very favorable draw. Plus, playing at home is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, says American star Christian Pulisic.
CHRISTIAN PULISIC: It's what we dreamed of as kids. And just to have the opportunity, I think it is important to go into it with a mentality that we're just going to - we're going to enjoy it. We're going to try to take in the whole experience. But obviously, we're going to be ready to fight. We're going to give it everything we have.
SULLIVAN: The favorites to win the World Cup are heavyweights like Spain, England, France, Brazil and Argentina, but it'll be easier than ever to at least reach the knockout stage thanks to the expansion of the tournament. Now the top two teams from each of the 12 groups will move on, plus a bunch of third-place finishers. That could lead to some Cinderella runs. Here's Australian head coach Tony Popovic speaking to reporters in a noisy room after the draw.
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TONY POPOVIC: When you're in the knockout stages, then it's a one-off game, and you never know what can happen. We'll have to earn it, but if we can get through the knockout stages, then anything's possible.
SULLIVAN: One of those underdogs next year will be Haiti, which is making just its second-ever World Cup appearance. Head coach Sebastien Migne led his squad to qualification despite not being able to play any games at home due to violence there. Now there's another obstacle. Haitians have been banned from traveling into the U.S. since an executive order signed by President Trump last June, meaning it'll be impossible for some fans to come.
SEBASTIEN MIGNE: Normally, it's a big party - the World Cup. So you need to invite all the citizens in the world. I think it would be the case, but we have a lot of Haitian in U.S., so we will see.
SULLIVAN: For fans from many other countries, the U.S. requires visas to visit, and the wait for an appointment can be months long. Last month, the White House announced priority appointments for hopeful visitors who've purchased tickets through FIFA, but officials stressed, it's not a guarantee that they'll be granted a visa.
Becky Sullivan, NPR News, Washington.
(SOUNDBITE OF MENAHAN STREET BAND'S "THE TRAITOR") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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