World Cup 2026: The UEFA qualifying groups IN FULL

World Cup 2026 UEFA qualifying groups IN FULL: Robert Pires draws England during the FIFA World Cup 2026: European Qualifier Draw at the Home of FIFA on December 13, 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland.

World Cup 2026 is coming, with the UEFA qualifying groups decided on Friday 13 December 2024. Unlucky for some, of course.

The tournament will be held in North America, as Canada, the United States and Mexico put on the first World Cup ever hosted by three separate nations. Mexico will become the first nation to have hosted three, while the US will mark 32 years since they hosted in '94: it's Canada's first go.

In another first for the Greatest Show on Earth, the World Cup will be expanded for this edition to a whopping 48 teams from across the globe. More chance of home nations getting to World Cup 2026, right?

Here's how this works. The qualifying group stage will feature twelve groups of four or five teams, with the winner of each group automatically qualifying for the World Cup in 2026.

The second-placed teams will advance to the play-offs, along with the four best-ranked group winners from the 2024/25 Nations League, who finished outside of the top two of their World Cup qualifying group. This is designed to give the likes of San Marino a chance.

Thomas Tuchel will lead England to the 2026 World Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)

16 nations from the UEFA confederation will be present at the World Cup in North America – a third of everyone there – with a great opportunity for all home nations. England have been drawn into a group with Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra, giving Thomas Tuchel his first tests as Three Lions boss.

Wales, meanwhile, will meet Belgium once more, after famously defeating the Red Devils at Euro 2016 in the quarter-finals, with North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein making up the rest of their group. Scotland have been drawn into a four-team group, where they will play the defeated team from Portugal and Denmark's Nations League quarter-final, along with Greece and Belarus.

Across the Irish Sea, both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland have tricky tests. Northern Ireland face the winners of Germany and Italy's Nations League quarter-final, Slovakia and Luxembourg, while Republic of Ireland take on the winners of Portugal and Denmark, along with Hungary and Armenia.

World Cup qualifying kicks off on March 21 2025 when the next international break rolls around. We won't know the full line-up for the 2026 competition, however, until March 31 2026.

The UEFA qualifying groups for World Cup 2026

World Cup 2026: The UEFA qualifying groups

The scene of the UEFA Preliminary Draw for the World Cup, at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland (Image credit: Harold Cunningham - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Group A

• Germany/Italy (winning team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Slovakia
• Northern Ireland
• Luxembourg

Group B

• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Slovenia
• Kosovo

Group C

• Portugal/Denmark (defeated team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Greece
• Scotland
• Belarus

Group D

• France/Croatia (winner team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Ukraine
• Iceland
• Azerbaijan

Group E

• Spain/Netherlands (winning team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Turkey
• Georgia
• Bulgaria

Group F

• Portugal/Denmark (winning team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Hungary
• Republic of Ireland
• Armenia

Group G

• Spain/Netherlands (defeated team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Poland
• Finland
• Lithuania
• Malta

Group H

• Austria
• Romania
• Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Cyprus
• San Marino

Group I

• Germany/Italy (defeated team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Norway
• Israel
• Estonia
• Moldova

Group J

• Belgium
• Wales
• North Macedonia
• Kazakhstan
• Liechtenstein

Group K

• England
• Serbia
• Albania
• Latvia
• Andorra

Group L

• France/Croatia (defeated team from Nations League quarter-final)
• Czech Republic
• Montenegro
• Faroe Islands
• Gibraltar

Pots

Pot 1

1. Spain
2. Netherlands
3. France
4. Croatia
5. Portugal
6. Denmark
7. Italy
8. Germany
9. England
10. Belgium
11. Switzerland
12. Austria

Pot 2

13. Ukraine
14. Sweden
15. Turkey
16. Wales
17. Hungary
18. Serbia
19. Poland
20. Romania
21. Greece
22. Slovakia
23. Czech Republic
24. Norway

Pot 3

25. Scotland
26. Slovenia
27. Republic of Ireland
28. Albania
29. North Macedonia
30. Georgia
31. Finland
32. Iceland
33. Northern Ireland
34. Montenegro
35. Bosnia and Herzegovina
36. Israel

Pot 4

37. Bulgaria
38. Luxembourg
39. Belarus
40. Kosovo
41. Armenia
42. Kazakhstan
43. Azerbaijan
44. Estonia
45. Cyprus
46. Faroe Islands
47. Latvia
48. Lithuania

Pot 5

49. Moldova
50. Malta
51. Andorra
52. Gibraltar
53. Liechtenstein
54. San Marino

Banned from entering

• Russia

Schedule