The UEFA section of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finally gets underway next March.
While Africa, Asia and South America are among those confederations to have made substantial progress in their qualification pools, European nations will see theirs condensed into a 12-month period.
The group stage begins in March 2025 and will run into November, with the playoff round being staged in March 2026. After then, we will know which 16 European sides will compete at the final tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The draw for the groups took place on December 13. The Sporting News breaks down how it all looks.
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Teams in UEFA World Cup qualifying 2026
There are 54 teams in total in UEFA’s World Cup qualifying section. They were split into five pots for the draw, depending on their position in the FIFA rankings: the strongest sides are in Pot 1, with the weakest in Pot 5.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
| Spain | Ukraine | Scotland | Bulgaria | Moldova |
| Netherlands | Sweden | Slovenia | Luxembourg | Malta |
| France | Turkey | Republic of Ireland | Belarus | Andorra |
| Croatia | Wales | Albania | Kosovo | Gibraltar |
| Portugal | Hungary | North Macedonia | Armenia | Liechtenstein |
| Denmark | Serbia | Georgia | Kazakhstan | San Marino |
| Italy | Poland | Finland | Azerbaijan | |
| Germany | Romania | Iceland | Estonia | |
| England | Greece | Northern Ireland | Cyprus | |
| Belgium | Slovakia | Montenegro | Faroe Islands | |
| Switzerland | Czechia | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Latvia | |
| Austria | Norway | Israel | Lithuania |
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UEFA World Cup qualifying group stage draw, schedule, standings
Group matches will start in March 2025 and will conclude in November.
Some of the group placements are yet to be determined. That’s because the results of the UEFA Nations League knockout phase will decide which teams go into certain groups.
For example, the winner (W) of the tie between Germany and Italy will go into Group A, while the loser (L) will be in Group I.
Group A
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Germany/Italy (W) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Slovakia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Northern Ireland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Luxembourg | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group A match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
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| TBD | TBD | — |
Group B
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Switzerland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Sweden | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Slovenia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Kosovo | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group B match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
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| TBD | TBD | — |
Group C
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Portugal/Denmark (L) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Greece | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Scotland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Belarus | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group D
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | France/Croatia (W) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Ukraine | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Iceland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Azerbaijan | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group E
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Spain/Netherlands (W) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Turkey | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Georgia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Bulgaria | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group E match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group F
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Portugal/Denmark (W) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Hungary | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Republic of Ireland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Armenia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group G
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Spain/Netherlands (L) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Poland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Finland | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Lithuania | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Malta | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group G match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group H
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Austria | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Romania | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Cyprus | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | San Marino | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group H match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group I
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Germany/Italy (L) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Norway | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Israel | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Estonia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Moldova | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group I match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group J
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | Belgium | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Wales | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | North Macedonia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Liechtenstein | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group J match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group K
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | England | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Serbia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Albania | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Latvia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Andorra | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group K match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
Group L
| Team | Matches | W-L-D | GD | Pts. | |
| 1. | France/Croatia (L) | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Czechia | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Montenegro | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Faroe Islands | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Gibraltar | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0 |
Group L match schedule
| Date | Time (CET) | Match |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
| TBD | TBD | — |
When are the UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs?
The playoffs take place in March 2026. The 16 teams involved will be split into four paths, with the overall winners of each path taking a place at the finals in North America.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 and runs through to July 19, 2026.
The opening game will see co-hosts Mexico face as-yet-unconfirmed opposition at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Fellow host nations Canada and the United States play their opening matches the following day: Canada’s fixture will be at BMO Field in Toronto, while the USMNT’s first game will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
