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2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

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2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Tournament details
Dates21 March 2025 – 31 March 2026
Teams54 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played144
Goals scored469 (3.26 per match)
Attendance2,943,260 (20,439 per match)
Top scorerNorway Erling Haaland (12 goals)
← 2022
2030 →
All statistics correct as of 14 October 2025.
UEFA European Qualifiers
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championship

The European section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification competition is acting as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, for national teams that are members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). A total of 16 slots in the final tournament are available for UEFA teams.

Format

A revised qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, on 25 January 2023. As the number of final tournament slots for UEFA has increased from 13 to 16,[1] the qualification format was modified from the previous cycle. The qualifying group stage features six groups of four and six groups of five teams. The winner of each group will qualify for the World Cup, while the second-placed teams will advance to the play-offs, along with the four best-ranked group winners from the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League that finished outside the top two of their World Cup qualifying group.[2] On 28 June 2023, the UEFA Executive Committee formally recommended the qualification format to FIFA,[3] which was later approved.[4][5]

  • First round (group stage): Six groups of four and six groups five teams will play home-and-away matches against all other teams in the group. Group winners will qualify for the World Cup.
  • Second round (play-offs): Sixteen teams (twelve group runners-up and four best Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group) will be drawn into four paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals with the seeded teams to host, followed by finals, with the home teams to be drawn). The four path winners will qualify for the World Cup.

Schedule

Below is the schedule of the European qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[6] Groups of five teams (Groups G–L) began in March 2025, while groups of four teams (Groups A–F) began in September 2025.[2][7][8]

Round Matchday Dates
Groups A–F Groups G–L
First round
(group stage) 		— Matchday 1 21–22 March 2025
Matchday 2 24–25 March 2025
Matchday 3 6–7 June 2025
Matchday 4 9–10 June 2025
Matchday 5 4–6 September 2025
Matchday 6 7–9 September 2025
Matchday 7 9–11 October 2025
Matchday 8 12–14 October 2025
Matchday 9 13–15 November 2025
Matchday 10 16–18 November 2025
Second round
(play-offs) 		Semi-finals 26 March 2026
Finals 31 March 2026

Draw

The draw for the first round (group stage) was held on 13 December 2024, 12:00 CET, at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.[9][10][11][12] Of UEFA's 55 member associations, 54 men's national teams submitted a valid entry to the competition; Russia's entry was invalidated by their suspension from UEFA and FIFA competitions after their country's invasion of Ukraine.[13][14]

The teams were seeded into five pots: Pots 1 to 4 each contained twelve teams, and Pot 5 contained six teams. FIFA, in consultation with UEFA, announced the allocation of teams to the five pots following the completion of the league phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League. The teams were drawn into twelve groups: six groups of four teams (Groups A–F) and six groups of five teams (Groups G–L).[15]

Following changes to the UEFA qualifying format, the competition features staggered starting dates. Five-team groups began in March 2025, while four-team groups started in September 2025. As 24 teams would be competing in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League in March 2025 (8 in the League A quarter-finals and 16 in the League A/B or B/C promotion/relegation play-offs), significant changes were made to the seeding and draw procedures to accommodate all teams within the schedule.

Seeding method

Five-team groups could only contain one team participating in Nations League matches in March 2025, allowing these teams to have two free matchdays in World Cup qualifying to be scheduled during March. The remaining four teams in their group played among themselves during this window. Additionally, as the four quarter-final winners would compete in the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals in June, they could not begin World Cup qualifying until September and therefore had to be drawn into four-team groups.[15]

Given these conditions, Pot 1 contained the eight Nations League quarter-finalists, regardless of their position in the FIFA Men's World Ranking of November 2024. The quarter-finalists were represented by placeholders in the draw, denoting the winners and losers of each quarter-final pairing.[note 1] The four remaining teams in Pot 1 were the next best-ranked teams in the World Ranking that November. The remaining teams were allocated to Pots 2 to 5 based on the World Ranking. This seeding method differs from previous cycles, as all World Cup qualifying group draws since 2010 have been seeded based solely on the World Ranking.

While ultimately not required, adjustments to Pots 2 to 5 could have been necessary depending on the distribution of teams competing in the Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs in March 2025. Specifically, if any draw pot contained more Nations League play-off teams than could be accommodated in the available qualifying groups, the lowest-ranked Nations League play-off team from that pot would have been swapped with the highest-ranked eligible team from the lower pot. This process would have been repeated as needed within the same pot or across different pots.[16]

Draw procedure

The draw started with Pot 1 and completed with Pot 5. A team was drawn and assigned to the first available group (based on draw conditions) in alphabetical order. Each five-team group contained one team from each of the five pots, while each four-team group contained one team from each of the first four pots.[15]

The following restrictions were applied with computer assistance:

  • Competition-related reasons: To allow for the parallel scheduling of World Cup qualifying and Nations League matches in March and June 2025, the following restrictions applied for allocating teams to groups of four or five:
    • Pot 1: The four teams participating in the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals (identified as the winners of quarter-finals 1–4) were guaranteed to be drawn into four-team groups (Groups A–F). All other teams from this pot could be drawn into any group.
    • Pots 2, 3 and 4: Nations League promotion/relegation play-off teams from these pots could be drawn into any-sized group, but could only join five-team groups (Groups G–L) that did not already contain a losing quarter-finalist or play-off participant. All other teams from these pots could be drawn into any group.
  • Prohibited clashes: For political reasons, matches between the following pairs of teams were considered prohibited clashes and could not be drawn into the same group: Belarus–Ukraine, Gibraltar–Spain,[note 2] Kosovo–Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo–Serbia. (Additionally, Armenia–Azerbaijan was identified as a prohibited clash, but the teams were in the same pot for the draw.)
  • Winter venues: A maximum of two teams whose venues were identified as having high or medium risk of severe winter conditions could be placed in each group: Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway.[note 3]
    • The two "hard winter venues" (Faroe Islands and Iceland) generally cannot host games in March or November, thus could not be drawn together, whilst the others have to play as few home matches as possible in March and November.
  • Excessive travel: A maximum of one pair of teams identified with excessive travel distance in relation to other countries could be placed in each group:[note 4]
    • Azerbaijan: with Gibraltar, Iceland, Portugal.
    • Iceland: with Armenia, Cyprus.[note 5]
    • Kazakhstan: with Andorra, England, France, Gibraltar, Iceland, Malta, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Wales.

Seeding pots

The draw pots were announced on 28 November 2024,[17] based on the FIFA Men's World Ranking released on the same day.[18]

Pot 1[note 1]
QF Team[a] Rank
1  Spain[QF] 3
 Netherlands[QF] 7
2  France[QF] 2
 Croatia[QF] 13
3  Portugal[QF] 6
 Denmark[QF] 21
4  Italy[QF] 9
 Germany[QF] 10
—  England 4
 Belgium[PO] 8
  Switzerland 20
 Austria[PO] 22
Pot 2
Team[a] Rank
 Ukraine[PO] 25
 Sweden 27
 Turkey[PO] 28
 Wales 29
 Hungary[PO] 30
 Serbia[PO] 32
 Poland 35
 Romania 38
 Greece[PO] 39
 Slovakia[PO] 41
 Czech Republic 42
 Norway 43
Pot 3
Team[a] Rank
 Scotland[PO] 45
 Slovenia[PO] 55
 Republic of Ireland[PO] 60
 Albania 65
 North Macedonia 67
 Georgia[PO] 68
 Finland 69
 Iceland[PO] 70
 Northern Ireland 71
 Montenegro 73
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 74
 Israel 76
Pot 4
Team[a] Rank
 Bulgaria[PO] 82
 Luxembourg 92
 Belarus 98
 Kosovo[PO] 99
 Armenia[PO] 100
 Kazakhstan 110
 Azerbaijan 117
 Estonia 123
 Cyprus 130
 Faroe Islands 137
 Latvia 140
 Lithuania 142
Pot 5
Team[a] Rank
 Moldova 151
 Malta 169
 Andorra 171
 Gibraltar 197
 Liechtenstein 204
 San Marino 210
  1. ^ a b c d e Note: Bold indicates the team qualified for the World Cup. Italics indicates the team advanced to the second round.
Banned from entering qualifying
Team Rank
 Russia 34

Key

  1. QF Nations League quarter-finalist, automatically seeded into Pot 1 and unavailable during the March 2025 window
  2. PO Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs participant that was unavailable during the March 2025 window

First round

The group stage fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 13 December 2024 following the draw.[8][19][20]

Group A

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Germany Slovakia Northern Ireland Luxembourg
1  Germany (X) 4 3 0 1 8 3 +5 9 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 17 Nov 3–1 4–0
2  Slovakia 4 3 0 1 5 2 +3 9 Advance to play-offs 2–0 — 14 Nov 2–0
3  Northern Ireland 4 2 0 2 6 5 +1 6 0–1 2–0 — 17 Nov
4  Luxembourg (E) 4 0 0 4 1 10 −9 0 14 Nov 0–1 1–3 —
Updated to match(es) played on 13 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (X) Assured of a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking; may still qualify directly

Group B

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Switzerland Kosovo Slovenia Sweden
1   Switzerland (T) 4 3 1 0 9 0 +9 10 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 4–0 3–0 15 Nov
2  Kosovo 4 2 1 1 3 4 −1 7 Advance to play-offs 18 Nov — 0–0 2–0
3  Slovenia (Y) 4 0 3 1 2 5 −3 3 0–0 15 Nov — 2–2
4  Sweden (Y) 4 0 1 3 2 7 −5 1 0–2 0–1 18 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 13 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Group C

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Denmark Scotland Greece Belarus
1  Denmark (T) 4 3 1 0 12 1 +11 10 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 0–0 3–1 15 Nov
2  Scotland (T) 4 3 1 0 7 2 +5 10 Advance to play-offs 18 Nov — 3–1 2–1
3  Greece (E) 4 1 0 3 7 10 −3 3 0–3 15 Nov — 5–1
4  Belarus (E) 4 0 0 4 2 15 −13 0 0–6 0–2 18 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 12 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly

Group D

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification France Ukraine Iceland Azerbaijan
1  France (X) 4 3 1 0 9 3 +6 10 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 13 Nov 2–1 3–0
2  Ukraine 4 2 1 1 8 7 +1 7 Advance to play-offs 0–2 — 16 Nov 2–1
3  Iceland 4 1 1 2 11 9 +2 4 2–2 3–5 — 5–0
4  Azerbaijan (Y) 4 0 1 3 2 11 −9 1 16 Nov 1–1 13 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 13 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(X) Assured of a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking; may still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Group E

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group E
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Spain Turkey Georgia (country) Bulgaria
1  Spain (T) 4 4 0 0 15 0 +15 12 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 18 Nov 2–0 4–0
2  Turkey 4 3 0 1 13 10 +3 9 Advance to play-offs 0–6 — 4–1 15 Nov
3  Georgia (Y) 4 1 0 3 6 9 −3 3 15 Nov 2–3 — 3–0
4  Bulgaria (E) 4 0 0 4 1 16 −15 0 0–3 1–6 18 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Group F

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Portugal Hungary Republic of Ireland Armenia
1  Portugal (T) 4 3 1 0 11 4 +7 10 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 2–2 1–0 16 Nov
2  Hungary 4 1 2 1 8 7 +1 5 Advance to play-offs 2–3 — 16 Nov 2–0
3  Republic of Ireland 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 4 13 Nov 2–2 — 1–0
4  Armenia (Y) 4 1 0 3 2 9 −7 3 0–5 13 Nov 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Group G

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Netherlands Poland Finland Lithuania Malta
1  Netherlands (T) 6 5 1 0 22 3 +19 16 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 1–1 4–0 17 Nov 8–0
2  Poland 6 4 1 1 10 4 +6 13 Advance to play-offs 14 Nov — 3–1 1–0 2–0
3  Finland (Y) 7 3 1 3 8 13 −5 10 0–2 2–1 — 2–1 14 Nov
4  Lithuania (E) 7 0 3 4 6 11 −5 3 2–3 0–2 2–2 — 1–1
5  Malta (E) 6 0 2 4 1 16 −15 2 0–4 17 Nov 0–1 0–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 12 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Group H

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina Romania Cyprus San Marino
1  Austria 6 5 0 1 19 3 +16 15 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 18 Nov 2–1 1–0 10–0
2  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 4 1 1 13 5 +8 13 Advance to play-offs 1–2 — 15 Nov 2–1 1–0
3  Romania 6 3 1 2 11 6 +5 10 1–0 0–1 — 2–0 18 Nov
4  Cyprus (E) 7 2 2 3 11 9 +2 8 15 Nov 2–2 2–2 — 2–0
5  San Marino (Z) 7 0 0 7 1 32 −31 0 0–4 0–6 1–5 0–4 —
Updated to match(es) played on 12 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (Z) Cannot qualify via group position but may still qualify for a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking

Group I

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Norway Italy Israel Estonia Moldova
1  Norway (T) 6 6 0 0 29 3 +26 18 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 3–0 5–0 13 Nov 11–1
2  Italy (T) 6 5 0 1 18 8 +10 15 Advance to play-offs 16 Nov — 3–0 5–0 2–0
3  Israel (Z) 7 3 0 4 15 19 −4 9 2–4 4–5 — 2–1 16 Nov
4  Estonia (E) 7 1 1 5 7 17 −10 4 0–1 1–3 1–3 — 1–1
5  Moldova (Z) 6 0 1 5 4 26 −22 1 0–5 13 Nov 0–4 2–3 —
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly; (Z) Cannot qualify via group position but may still qualify for a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking

Group J

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group J
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium North Macedonia Wales Kazakhstan Liechtenstein
1  Belgium 6 4 2 0 21 6 +15 14 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 0–0 4–3 6–0 18 Nov
2  North Macedonia 7 3 4 0 12 3 +9 13 Advance to play-offs 1–1 — 1–1 1–1 5–0
3  Wales (X) 6 3 1 2 13 10 +3 10 2–4 18 Nov — 3–1 3–0
4  Kazakhstan (E) 7 2 1 4 8 12 −4 7 15 Nov 0–1 0–1 — 4–0
5  Liechtenstein (E) 6 0 0 6 0 23 −23 0 0–6 0–3 15 Nov 0–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on 13 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (X) Assured of a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking; may still qualify directly

Group K

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group K
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification England Albania Serbia Latvia Andorra
1  England (Q) 6 6 0 0 18 0 +18 18 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 2–0 13 Nov 3–0 2–0
2  Albania (Y) 6 3 2 1 6 3 +3 11 Advance to play-offs 16 Nov — 0–0 1–0 3–0
3  Serbia (Y) 6 3 1 2 7 7 0 10 0–5 0–1 — 16 Nov 3–0
4  Latvia (E) 7 1 2 4 4 13 −9 5 0–5 1–1 0–1 — 2–2
5  Andorra (E) 7 0 1 6 3 15 −12 1 0–1 13 Nov 1–3 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Group L

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group L
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Croatia Czech Republic Faroe Islands Montenegro Gibraltar
1  Croatia (T) 6 5 1 0 20 1 +19 16 Qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup — 5–1 14 Nov 4–0 3–0
2  Czech Republic (X) 7 4 1 2 12 8 +4 13 Advance to play-offs 0–0 — 2–1 2–0 17 Nov
3  Faroe Islands (Y) 7 4 0 3 10 6 +4 12 0–1 2–1 — 4–0 2–1
4  Montenegro (E) 6 2 0 4 4 13 −9 6 17 Nov 0–2 1–0 — 3–1
5  Gibraltar (E) 6 0 0 6 2 20 −18 0 0–7 0–4 0–1 14 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 12 October 2025. Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(E) Eliminated; (T) Assured of at least a play-off berth; may still qualify directly; (X) Assured of a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking; may still qualify directly; (Y) Cannot qualify directly but may be able to qualify for a play-off berth

Second round

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round

The second round (play-offs) will be contested by the twelve group runners-up and the best four Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League interim overall ranking, who finish outside the top two of their qualifying group. The sixteen teams will be split into four play-off paths, each containing four teams. Each path will feature two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. In the semi-finals, the fixtures of each path will be determined by seeding pots, with the Pot 1 team hosting the Pot 4 team and the Pot 2 team hosting the Pot 3 team. The host of each path final will be decided by a draw between the two semi-final pairings.[21]

Following the completion of the UEFA first round (group stage), the sixteen teams that advanced to the play-offs will be drawn into four paths of four teams on 20 November 2025, 13:00 CET, at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland (along with the inter-confederation play-off draw).[22]

Nations League team selection

Based on the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League interim overall ranking,[23] the four best-ranked Nations League group winners that finish outside the top two of their qualifying group will advance to the play-offs. If fewer than four Nations League group winners can be selected, the remaining spot(s) will be allocated to the best-ranked remaining team(s) in the Nations League interim overall ranking that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group.[21]

The table below shows the order in which teams will be selected based on the UEFA Nations League interim overall ranking.[note 6]

UNL Rank Team Qualifying
group
Nations League group winners
A 1  Spain † (T) E
2  Germany † (X) A
3  Portugal † (T) F
4  France † (X) D
B 17  England † (Q) K
18  Norway † (T) I
19  Wales ‡ (X) J
20  Czech Republic † (X) L
C 33  Romania ‡ H
34  Sweden ‡ B
35  North Macedonia † J
36  Northern Ireland ‡ A
D 49  Moldova (Z) I
50  San Marino (Z) H
Nations League remaining teams
A 5  Italy † (T) I
6  Netherlands † (T) G
7  Denmark † (T) C
8  Croatia † (T) L
9  Scotland † (T) C
10  Serbia K
11  Hungary † F
12  Belgium † J
13  Poland † G
14  Israel (Z) I
15   Switzerland † (T) B
16  Bosnia and Herzegovina † (N) H

Updated to match(es) played on 14 October 2025

Key

  •  †  Team is currently in top two of qualifying group
  •  ‡  Team is currently in a position to advance to the play-offs as one of the best four Nations League group winners outside top two of their qualifying group
  • (X) Team is assured at least a play-off spot based on Nations League ranking
  • (Z) Team will finish outside top two of qualifying group, and can only advance to play-offs based on Nations League ranking
  •   Team will not advance to play-offs via the Nations League ranking
    • (Q) Team has qualified directly for World Cup
    • (T) Team will finish in top two of qualifying group
    • (N) Team cannot advance to play-offs based on Nations League ranking, but can still finish in top two of qualifying group

Draw

For the draw, the sixteen teams will be divided into four pots of four teams each. The twelve group runners-up will be allocated to pots 1 to 3, with seeding based on the FIFA Men's World Ranking of 19 November 2025. The four teams qualified via the Nations League will be automatically placed into pot 4.[21] The play-off paths are structured as follows:[21][24]

  • Play-off Path A is formed by semi-finals 1 and 2, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final A.
  • Play-off Path B is formed by semi-finals 3 and 4, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final B.
  • Play-off Path C is formed by semi-finals 5 and 6, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final C.
  • Play-off Path D is formed by semi-finals 7 and 8, with the winners of both semi-finals advancing to final D.

The draw for the semi-finals will start with Pot 1 and complete with Pot 4. Teams will be drawn and assigned to the first available play-off semi-final (considering prohibited clashes) in numerical order, as follows:

  • The Pot 1 teams (seeded) will be allocated to semi-finals 1, 3, 5 and 7 as the host team.
  • The Pot 2 teams (seeded) will be allocated to semi-finals 2, 4, 6 and 8 as the host team.
  • The Pot 3 teams (unseeded) will be allocated to semi-finals 2, 4, 6 and 8 as the away team.
  • The Pot 4 teams (unseeded) will be allocated to semi-finals 1, 3, 5 and 7 as the away team.

The draw for the final hosts will take place immediately afterwards, with finals A, B, C and D each having one of their semi-finalists selected as the host team.

For political reasons, matches between the following pairs of teams are considered prohibited clashes and cannot be drawn into the same play-off path: Armenia–Azerbaijan, Kosovo–Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo–Serbia. (Belarus–Ukraine and Gibraltar–Spain were also identified as prohibited clashes, but Belarus and Gibraltar both failed to qualify for the playoffs). The seeding pots for the semi-final draw are as follows.

Seeded Unseeded
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 (UNL)
  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  

Qualified teams

Status of UEFA countries with respect to the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
  Team has qualified for World Cup
  Team failed to qualify
  Team suspended
  Country not a UEFA member

The following team from UEFA qualified for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup[a]
 England Group K winners 14 October 2025 16 (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)

Notes

  1. ^ Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Top goalscorers

There have been 469 goals scored in 144 matches, for an average of 3.26 goals per match (as of 14 October 2025).

12 goals

7 goals

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

Below are full goalscorer lists for all groups:

Controversies

During the draw on 13 December 2024, when Ukraine was drawn, the map of the country did not include the disputed area of Crimea, which led to outrage from the Ukrainian Association of Football. FIFA later apologised for the incident.[25]

In Group I, the Norwegian Football Federation stated that they "cannot remain indifferent to Israel's disproportionate attacks on the civilian population in Gaza" during the Gaza war.[26] In the same group, during Estonia–Israel qualification match, Estonian fans waved a banner targeting Israeli captain Eli Dasa who played for Russian club FC Dynamo Moscow from 2022 to 2025, for comments Dasa made that he was "proud to play" in Russia. The banner was removed on request by UEFA.[27] Also in the same group, the Italian Football Coaches' Association called for Israel to be suspended prior to the Italy–Israel qualification match.[28]

Notes

  1. ^ a b As there were only six four-team groups available for the eight quarter-finalists, and the identity of the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals participants was not known at the time of the World Cup qualifying draw, the eight quarter-finalists were represented in Pot 1 as the winners or defeated teams of quarter-finals 1–4.
  2. ^ The Gibraltar–Spain draw condition only applied to the placeholder for the loser of quarter-final 1, featuring the Netherlands and Spain. This was because the winner would be placed in a four-team group, while Gibraltar, as a Pot 5 team, was placed in a five-team group.
  3. ^ Belarus and Ukraine, which typically have a winter venue draw restriction, did not have it applied given they were required to play at neutral venues.
  4. ^ Excessive travel pairings involving France, Spain and Portugal applied to the placeholders for both the winner and loser of their respective quarter-final pairing.
  5. ^ Israel, which typically have an excessive travel restriction with Iceland, were removed given they were required to play at neutral venues.
  6. ^ The table lists teams down to the lowest-ranked team that could potentially receive a play-off spot (the team ranked 16th in League A), based on the distribution of teams to qualifying groups.

References

  1. ^ "FIFA Council prepares Congress, takes key decisions for the future of the FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions approved". UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Lisbon to host UEFA Women's Champions League final in 2025". UEFA. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Road to the FIFA World Cup 26 has begun". FIFA. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ^ "CONMEBOL kick off journey of "great joy and happiness" to historic FIFA World Cup 2026, says FIFA President". FIFA. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2024/25" (PDF). UEFA. 11 December 2023. Annex A – 2024–26 National Team Match Calendar. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ "New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions" (PDF). UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  8. ^ a b "European Qualifiers for 2026 World Cup: All the fixtures and results". UEFA. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  9. ^ "European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: All you need to know". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  10. ^ "European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: All you need to know". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Everything you need to know about UEFA qualifying". FIFA. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  12. ^ "UEFA Preliminary Draw for FIFA World Cup 26 to take place on 13 December". FIFA. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  13. ^ "FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions". FIFA. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  14. ^ "FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions". UEFA. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "Draw Procedures for the UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26" (PDF). FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Draw Procedures for the UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26" (PDF). FIFA. September 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  17. ^ "UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26: procedures and seedings confirmed". FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  18. ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking: Men's World ranking". FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  19. ^ "European Qualifiers 2024–26 (FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition) – Group stage fixtures by matchday" (PDF). UEFA. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  20. ^ "European Qualifiers 2024–26 (FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition) – Group stage fixtures by group" (PDF). UEFA. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d "UEFA Preliminary Competition for the FIFA World Cup 26 – Additional Competition Information" (PDF). FIFA. September 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  22. ^ "FIFA headquarters to host FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament and European Play-Off draws". FIFA. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  23. ^ "Interim overall rankings of the UEFA Nations League 2024/25" (PDF). UEFA. 23 March 2025.
  24. ^ "Draw Procedures for the European Play-Off Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26" (PDF). FIFA. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  25. ^ "Fifa regrets Ukraine map error at 2026 World Cup qualifiers draw". bbc.com. BBC Sport. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  26. ^ "'Can't Remain Indifferent': Norway Spotlights Gaza Ahead of World Cup Qualifier Against Israel". haaretz.com. Haaretz. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  27. ^ Zenziper, Nadav (7 June 2025). "Estonian police seek to question Israeli soccer captain over pro-Russia remarks". Ynetnews.
  28. ^ read, DANIELLA MATAR·2 min (20 August 2025). "Italian soccer coaches call for Israel to be suspended by UEFA and FIFA over Gaza war". Yahoo Sports.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
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