World Cup 2026 qualifying draw live and in full

Time to check out the World Cup 2026 qualifying draw which has been made live and in full as it is made in Zurich this morning.

UEFA nations get drawn into 12 qualifying groups for the next the World Cup, which will be the biggest World Cup so far, with a record 48 teams taking part.

The format for European qualifying has changed, with more groups – and smaller ones than before, 12 World Cup qualifying groups with six consisting of four teams and six groups of five teams.

Teams will play each other home and away as usual.

The top team from each group qualifies automatically for the World Cup, with the runners-up going into the play-offs with four Nations League teams.

Four of the 16 play-off teams will qualify for the tournament.

All of the groups will contain one team each from pots one to four. Six of the groups will also have a team from pot five. There are some restrictions on which teams can be drawn in which groups, and who they can face – more on that to come.

The teams will be drawn in order of pots – so pot one teams first, then pot two and so on.

Pot 1: Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, ENGLAND, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria

Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, WALES, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway

Pot 3: SCOTLAND, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, NORTHERN IRELAND, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel

Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Kosovo, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania

Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino

THE 2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING DRAW

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

For political reasons, Ukraine and Belarus couldn’t be put in the same group, and neither can Gibraltar and Spain. Kosovo are also kept apart from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Weather is a factor too. Because of the potential cold conditions, a maximum of two of Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway can be drawn together. Iceland and the Faroes cannot be drawn together as they are considered the two countries most at risk of weather disruptions.

There are also geographical limits on who Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iceland can face to avoid too many trips to the opposite side of Europe.

World Cup 2026 European qualifiers: Key dates
Group-stage draw: December 13 2024
Group-stage match dates: March 21-25, June 6-10, September 4-9, October 9-14 and November 13-18, 2025
Play-off match dates: March 26-31 2026
Final tournament dates: June 11 to July 19 2026

Here’s how England fans reacted to the World Cup 2026 qualifying draw…

@c_ellis92: Absolutely buzzing with that draw 🤩 4 new away countries to bag in the process! #EnglandAway

@mrgaztay: You need to get the home games away from Wembley

@philiphartley57: Very happy with this. Should be a walk in the park. Serbia away could be tough, but al other games should be routine 3-0+ wins

@DCM050504: Don’t play the home games in London play them across the whole of England so everyone gets a chance to watch England

@fey_jason: It’s all gonna kick off !

@MichaelLofthou5: Serbia v Albania tasty but not in a footballing sense !

@samainsworth1: Put some at Villa Park or the Etihad please 🙏

@Alex79uk: I mean, we *should* walk it. But we *should* have walked the group stage at the Euros…

@MightyMillers20: Should absolutely walk the group

@RealTomHoskins: Tricky away ties but we should win all 8 of those games

@LordBonSnatch: If ever there was a chance for England to try new things, it’s this group!

@ElliotBelliss: Can’t complain really. Serbia away could be tough

@Adam_Price17: Really thought the England-Gibraltar clash was happening for a minute. Shame.

@robpatterson24: If we can’t qualify from this group, we might as well liquidate the national team.

@mikeydean56: Thats the easiest group for some time. Realistically shoulf not be losing 1 game

@TomB_CFC: Some trips in here

@alisonschofe22: I’m happy enough – few new Countries 😍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️

@Holliday38: Could of been better, could of been worse I suppose

@dthomson123: Que people saying “I wont be watching its boring and club over country etc” but we all have to be very happy with that

@LukeBaylissBRFC: 4 new countries😍😍😍 some small allocations in there though

@ryan_woolnough: 2025 European tour venues complete ✅ Going to be a proper bunfight for some of those away game tickets and hopefully a few of those home games might go on tour round the country rather than just Wembley

@pattfurey: Should walk that let’s not beat around the bush here

@Mayhew10Stephen: What a shite group 😂 but oh well, doesn’t matter what group it is coz it’s coming home anyway 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🦁