European Teams Prepare for 2026 World Cup Qualifying Draw

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers will take place on Friday at 11:00 GMT in Zurich. Sixteen teams from UEFA will secure spots in the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

New Qualification Format

The structure for European qualifying has undergone significant changes:

  • There will be 12 groups: six with four teams and six with five teams.
  • Teams will play home and away fixtures as usual.
  • The top team from each group qualifies automatically for the World Cup.
  • Group runners-up will enter play-offs alongside four teams from the Nations League to battle for the remaining four spots.

Seeded Teams

Teams are divided into five pots based on their rankings.

Pot 1

Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria

Pot 2

Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway

Pot 3

Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel

Pot 4

Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Kosovo, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania

Pot 5

Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino

Draw Restrictions

Certain restrictions will apply during the draw:

  1. Political conflicts:
    • Ukraine cannot be drawn with Belarus.
    • Kosovo cannot face Serbia or Bosnia-Herzegovina.
    • Gibraltar and Spain must be in separate groups.
  2. Weather risks:
    • Only two of Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway can be in the same group.
    • Iceland and the Faroes cannot be drawn together.
  3. Travel considerations:
    • Teams like Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will have geographical limits to reduce excessive travel.

Nations League and Four-Team Groups

The winners of the Nations League quarter-finals (played in March) will be placed in one of the four-team groups (Groups A-F) due to the limited calendar. Scotland and Ireland, part of these play-offs, are likely to be in a four-team group.

England, as a top-seeded team, is expected to be in a five-team group.

Match Schedule

Qualifiers will take place over 10 matchdays during five international breaks:

  • 21-25 March 2025
  • 6-10 June 2025
  • 4-9 September 2025
  • 9-14 October 2025
  • 13-18 November 2025

Four-team groups will not begin until September 2025, and no team will play more than eight games.

The play-offs will occur between 26-31 March 2026.

2026 World Cup Details

The tournament will kick off on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City and conclude on 19 July 2026 in New Jersey.

  • It will feature 12 four-team groups, with a last-32 knockout round introduced for the first time.
  • The competition will last a record 39 days.

Stay tuned for the draw to see which challenges the home nations will face on the road to the 2026 World Cup!