Probably the most anticipated event in sports, the FIFA World Cup will be held in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from June 11, 2026 to July 19, 2026.
All the nations that come under the UEFA Confederation (barring Russia who have been withheld due to their actions in Ukraine), will get to know their potential pathway to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the qualifying draw will be made on Friday.
Earlier only 13 European nations would make it to the final tournament, but with the World Cup format being revamped, the number has increased to 16 teams.
The Sporting News has all the information you need on how to watch the draw live and when it will commence.
World Cup qualifying draw live stream, TV channel
- Date: Friday, December 13, 2024
- Time: 11 a.m. GMT
- TV channel: None
- Streaming: FIFA+
The 2026 World Cup draw will be streamed on FIFA+ in the United Kingdom and worldwide.
What time is the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw?
The 2026 World Cup qualifying draw kicks off on Friday, December 13 at 12 p.m. local time in Zurich, Switzerland as a live studio event.
Here’s how that time translates in other parts of the world:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| United Kingdom | Fri, Dec. 12 | 11 a.m. GMT |
| U.S. | Fri, Dec. 12 | 6 a.m. ET |
| Canada | Fri, Dec. 12 | 6 a.m. ET |
| India | Fri, Dec. 12 | 4:30 p.m. IST |
| Australia | Fri, Dec. 12 | 10:00 p.m. AEDT |
Teams in the 2026 World Cup qualifying
The 2026 World Cup qualifying draw will craft a group stage consisting of 12 groups, with eight groups consisting of four teams, and four groups consisting of five nations.
As the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League quarter-finals yet to be played, only four of the 12 groups will be fully confirmed during the draw. The rest of the eight groups will know their complete lineups once the Nations League quarter-finals are concluded.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
| Spain | Ukraine | Scotland | Bulgaria | Moldova |
| Netherlands | Sweden | Slovenia | Kosovo | Malta |
| Italy | Turkey | Republic of Ireland | Luxembourg | Andorra |
| Germany | Wales | Albania | Belarus | Gibraltar |
| Portugal | Hungary | North Macedonia | Armenia | Liechtenstein |
| Denmark | Serbia | Georgia | Kazakhstan | San Marino |
| France | Poland | Finland | Azerbaijan | |
| Croatia | Greece | Iceland | Estonia | |
| England | Romania | Northern Ireland | Cyprus | |
| Belgium | Slovakia | Montenegro | Faroe Islands | |
| Switzerland | Czech Republic | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Latvia | |
| Austria | Norway | Israel | Lithuania |
2026 World Cup qualifying pathways
There are two ways for nations to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Pathway 1: Winners of their respective groups directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Pathway 2: The runners-up of the 12 groups along with the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League group winners who didn’t win their qualifying group or end up in second place move to the play-offs. From the play-offs four additional teams join the 12 group winners.
If playoff spots remain after the list of Nations League winners is exhausted, teams will qualify based on the overall UNL ranking.
