Hot Trends: FIFA World Cup draw takes place today

The soccer world holds its breath for today's critical World Cup draw at the Costa do Sauipe resort in Brazil.

The 32 countries in the summer tournament, which begins June 12 and ends about a month later, will be divided into eight groups for the first round of play.

The draw is like a lottery, and one of the most important elements of the tournament. A team getting into a group with a less favourable team can significantly boost its chances of advancing, while a team that ends up in a stronger group may be at a big disadvantage.

At the draw, four bowls will be filled with what look like ping pong balls. The 32 teams are split into the four pots.

The host country Brazil and seven seeded teams are in Pot 1. The remaining teams are placed in the three other pots depending on their geographical location. The draw proceeds until all 32 teams have a group and a slot within that group.

CBCNews.ca is livestreaming the event starting at 11 a.m. ET, with the draw scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.



With files from The Associated Press