2026 FIFA World Cup: European qualifying group draw and full schedule - complete list for men's football showpiece qualifiers
Your one-stop guide to European qualifiers ahead of the next men's World Cup.
Football
The road to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in men's football has been laid out for European nations.
12 qualifying groups have been decided by UEFA at the draw on Friday (13 December).
Between March and November 2025, 54 teams from the continent will battle it out to secure a place in the expanded 48-team competition, which takes place in North America, beginning on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City, before concluding with the World Cup Final on 19 July in New Jersey.
Here’s everything you need to know…
2026 FIFA World Cup - European qualifying groups - complete list
Six groups have four teams, while the other six host five sides.
Nations will play each other twice, home and away, and those who top the table will automatically qualify for the World Cup.
Group runners-up will go into the play-offs, alongside four teams from the next UEFA Nations League, with four of them eventually qualifying for the tournament.
This year's Nations League quarter-finals will also have an impact, with teams who have qualified for that event lining up in one of two possible groups.
Here are the groups in full…
Group A
- Winner of UEFA Nations League QF between Italy and Germany
- Slovakia
- Northern Ireland
- Luxembourg
Group B
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Slovenia
- Kosovo
Group C
- Loser of UEFA Nations League QF between Portugal and Denmark
- Greece
- Scotland
- Belarus
Group D
- Winner of UEFA Nations League QF between France and Croatia
- Ukraine
- Iceland
- Azerbaijan
Group E
- Winner of UEFA Nations League QF between Spain and Netherlands
- Türkiye
- Georgia
- Bulgaria
Group F
- Winner of UEFA Nations League QF between Portugal and Denmark
- Hungary
- Republic of Ireland
Group G
- Loser of UEFA Nations League QF between Spain and Netherlands
- Poland
- Finland
- Lithuania
- Malta
Group H
- Austria
- Romania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cyprus
- San Merino
Group I
- Loser of UEFA Nations League QF between Germany and Italy
- Norway
- Israel
- Estonia
- Moldova
Group J
- Belgium
- Wales
- North Macedonia
- Kazakhstan
- Liechtenstein
Group K
- England
- Serbia
- Albania
- Latvia
- Andorra
Group L
- Loser of UEFA Nations League QF between France and Croatia
- Czechia
- Montenegro
- Faroe Islands
- Gibraltar
Lionel Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022.
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Schedule for European nations
2025 will be the year of qualifying, held across five international windows between March and November.
Here are the breaks in the club season in which these national teams are due to be in action…
- 21-25 March
- 6-10 June
- 4-9 September
- 9-14 October
- 13-18 November
Play-offs will be held the following year, between 26-31 March 2026, a few months before the men's world cup tournament begins.