The World Cup European qualifying draw was made as the 54 nations discovered their opponents for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Taking place in Zurich, Switzerland, countries waited in anticipation of who they would face and now it has been confirmed.
Six countries will be drawn into groups of four (A to F) while the remaining six groups (G to L) will have five nations playing each other.
The reason for this is because of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals taking place in March 2025 and the conclusion of that tournament will confirm where the winners and losers will play.
British nations discover qualifying fate
England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland found out their World Cup qualifying opponents.
Under new head coach Thomas Tuchel, England will face a tricky test with Serbia, Albania, and Latvia.
Steve Clarke's Scotland have been drawn against Greece, Belarus, and the loser of the Portugal v Denmark UEFA Nations League quarter-final.
Wales will meet a familiar opponent in Belgium, with North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein.
Northern Ireland's qualifying group consists of Slovakia, Luxembourg, and the winner of the Germany v Italy Nations League quarterfinal game.
World Cup Qualifying full draw
Some of the groups will not be finalized until after the quarter-finals of the Nations League in March.
Group A: Germany or Italy (winner), Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Luxembourg.
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C: Portugal or Denmark (loser), Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D: France or Croatia (winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E: Spain or Netherlands (winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F: Portugal or Denmark (winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia
Group G: Spain or Netherlands (loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I: Germany or Italy (loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.
Group L: France or Croatia (loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
How does World Cup qualifying work?
There are six groups with four teams and another six consisting of five teams. Teams will play each other home and away as usual.
The winner from each qualifying group automatically heads to the World Cup, while the runners-up enter the play-offs with the four Nations League teams.
Based on their records in the qualifying group, those 16 playoff teams will be put into pots and drawn into four paths with one-legged semi-finals and finals.
When will the games take place?
The games will played across five international breaks, over 10 matchdays between March and November 2025.
Some teams will start their campaign in March, others will begin in June but four-team groups will not start until September 2025.
Teams who win the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals will not be in World Cup qualifying action until September.
The playoffs will be from 26-31 March 2026.
When and where is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will start on June 11 in Mexico City and finish on July 19 2026 in New Jersey. The United States along with Canada and Mexico are the tournament hosts.
A huge 48 teams will compete to win the World Cup in North America and the competition will last 39 days in total.
