UEFA World Cup Qualifying Groups Announced: 54 Teams Compete for 12 Direct Spots and 4 Playoff Qualification Places

On December 13 local time, the draw for the UEFA qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, took place in Zurich, Switzerland.

All 55 UEFA member associations, except Russia, participated in the draw. A total of 54 teams were divided into 12 groups to compete for 16 qualification spots. The 12 group winners will qualify directly, while the remaining 4 spots will be decided through the UEFA playoffs.



UEFA World Cup Qualifier Draw Results:

Group A: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Winner (Germany/Italy), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Loser (Portugal/Denmark), Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Winner (France/Croatia), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Winner (Spain/Netherlands), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Winner (Portugal/Denmark), Hungary, Ireland, Armenia
Group G: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Loser (Spain/Netherlands), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Loser (Germany/Italy), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L: UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Loser (France/Croatia), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar





Changes in Qualification Spots
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in North America, will feature 48 teams for the first time in its history. Europe’s allocation has increased from 13 to 16 spots.

UEFA Playoff Rules:
The UEFA playoffs will involve 16 teams divided into 4 groups, with each group featuring 2 semifinals and 1 final, all played as single-leg matches. The winners of each group’s final will secure the last 4 European spots for the World Cup.
The 16 teams in the playoffs will include the 12 group runners-up from the qualifiers and 4 of the best-performing group winners from the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League. These 4 teams must not have already qualified for the World Cup as group winners or runners-up.
If fewer than 4 eligible Nations League group winners are available, the remaining spots will be allocated to teams ranked highest in the overall UEFA Nations League standings but did not finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying group.
Once the 16 playoff teams are determined:

The 12 group runners-up will be ranked from 1st to 12th based on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking as of November 2025. The 4 teams from the UEFA Nations League will automatically be ranked 13th to 16th.

The 16 teams will be divided into four tiers based on their rankings:

Tier 1: The top 4 group runners-up based on FIFA rankings
Tier 2: Group runners-up ranked 5th-8th
Tier 3: Group runners-up ranked 9th-12th
Tier 4: Nations League teams

Teams in Tiers 1 and 2 will host the playoff semifinals, while the home advantage for the finals will be determined by a draw.

2026 UEFA World Cup Qualifiers Schedule:
First Round (Group Stage)
Groups A-F (4 teams per group):

Matchday 1: September 4-6, 2025
Matchday 2: September 7-9, 2025
Matchday 3: October 9-11, 2025
Matchday 4: October 12-14, 2025
Matchday 5: November 13-15, 2025
Matchday 6: November 16-18, 2025

Groups G-L (5 teams per group, 10 matchdays due to bye rounds):

Matchday 1: March 21-22, 2025
Matchday 2: March 24-25, 2025
Matchday 3: June 6-7, 2025
Matchday 4: June 9-10, 2025
Matchday 5: September 4-6, 2025
Matchday 6: September 7-9, 2025
Matchday 7: October 9-11, 2025
Matchday 8: October 12-14, 2025
Matchday 9: November 13-15, 2025
Matchday 10: November 16-18, 2025

Second Round (Playoffs)

Semifinals: March 26, 2026
Finals: March 31, 2026