The road to the FIFA World Cup 26™ has been mapped out for Europe’s 54 hopefuls at the UEFA Preliminary Draw in Zurich.
A record-high number of 16 places are up for grabs for UEFA representatives at the historic 48-team showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Eight of the 12 sections will only have a confirmed Pot 1 team after March’s UEFA Nations League (UNL) quarter-finals, as outlined in more detail in the draw procedures.
FIFA World Cup 26™: UEFA Preliminary Draw results
Group A
Winner Italy - Germany (UNL QF4)
Slovakia
Northern Ireland
Luxembourg
Group B
Switzerland
Sweden
Slovenia
Kosovo
Group C
Defeated team Denmark - Portugal (UNL QF3)
Greece
Scotland
Belarus
Group D
Winner Croatia - France (UNL QF2)
Ukraine
Iceland
Azerbaijan
Group E
Winner Netherlands - Spain (UNL QF1)
Türkiye
Georgia
Bulgaria
Group F
Winner Denmark - Portugal (UNL QF3)
Hungary
Republic of Ireland
Armenia
Group G
Defeated team Netherlands - Spain (UNL QF1)
Poland
Finland
Lithuania
Malta
Group H
Austria
Romania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cyprus
San Marino
Group I
Defeated team Italy - Germany (UNL QF4)
Norway
Israel
Estonia
Moldova
Group J
Belgium
Wales
North Macedonia
Kazakhstan
Liechtenstein
Group K
England
Serbia
Albania
Latvia
Andorra
Group L
Defeated team Croatia - France (UNL QF2)
Czechia
Montenegro
Faroe Islands
Gibraltar
The UEFA qualifying group stage will begin in March 2025 and conclude in November 2025. It will follow a familiar format, with 12 groups of four or five teams, and the group winners securing a place at the FIFA World Cup™.
The four remaining places will then be decided in March 2026 in a 16-team UEFA play-off involving the 12 group-stage runners-up and the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League 2024-25 group winners that have neither qualified directly for the FIFA World Cup as group winners nor entered the play-offs already as group runners-up.
Note to editors
Photos and graphics of today’s UEFA Preliminary Draw will be available here for media to download for editorial purposes only. Further content will be available on the FIFA Media Hub
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