The UEFA qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will see 12 group winners earn direct spots in the tournament.
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The UEFA qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially begun, marking an exciting journey for European football teams aiming to secure their spot in the tournament. Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America will jointly host. In the 2026 FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualification, 55 UEFA Teams are playing for qualification.
All the National team members are part of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers will begin in March 2025 and end with the play-offs in March 2026.
UEFA has 16 slots in the final tournament available for UEFA teams. After the qualification round, 12 teams have qualified for and joined the Final 2026 FIFA World Cup teams. All groups will conclude in November 2025. We are sharing the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers (UEFA) below.
2026 FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifiers
The format of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification for UEFA is divided into 2 different phases.
Format
The UEFA Executive Committee confirmed the qualification format during their meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, on 13 December 2024. The qualification will depend on the result of the 2024-25 UEFA National League. The structure will maintain UEFA’s usual group stage/playoff stage structure, with only the specific format of the playoffs amended.
- Group stage: 12 groups of 4 or 5 teams. Group winners will qualify for the World Cup, and the draw for the group stage will take place in December 2024.
- Play-off stage: 16 teams ( 12 group runners-up and 4 best Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking). The four path winners will qualify for the World Cup.
UEFA Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 26 Draw
Here are the 12 qualifying groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Ukraine | Scotland | Bulgaria | Moldova |
| Spain | Sweden | Slovenia | Luxembourg | Andorra |
| England | Turkiye | Republic of Ireland | Belarus | Malta |
| Portugal | Wales | Albania | Kosovo | Gibraltar |
| Netherlands | Hungary | North Macedonia | Armenia | Liechtenstein |
| Belgium | Serbia | Georgia | Kazakhstan | San Marino |
| Italy | Poland | Finland | Azerbaijan | – |
| Germany | Romania | Iceland | Estonia | – |
| Croatia | Greece | Northern Ireland | Cyprus | – |
| Switzerland | Slovakia | Montenegro | Faroe Islands | – |
| Denmark | Czechia | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Latvia | – |
| Austria | Norway | Israel | Lithuania | – |
FIFA-Affiliated European Qualifiers Teams
| Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria | Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro |
| Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France | Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia (suspended) |
| Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy | San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales |
FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers Schedule
A total of 16 slots in the final tournament are available for UEFA teams.
- Group stage draw
- 13 December 2024
- Group stage match dates
- 21–22 March 2025 to 16–18 November 2025
- Play-off match dates(Semi-finals and Final)
- 26-31 March 2026
- Final tournament dates
- 11 June to 19 July 2026
2026 FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualification Groups
| Group A Germany Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg | Group B Switzerland Sweden Slovenia Kosovo |
| Group C Denmark Greece Scotland Belarus | Group D France Ukraine Iceland Azerbaijan |
| Group E Spain Turkey Georgia Bulgaria | Group F Portugal Hungary Republic of Ireland Armenia |
| Group G Netherlands Poland Finland Lithuania Malta | Group H Austria Romania Bosnia Herzegovina Cyprus San Marino |
| Group I Italy Norway Israel Estonia Moldova | Group J Belgium Wales North Macedonia Kazakhstan Liechtenstein |
| Group K England Serbia Albania Latvia Andorra | Group L Croatia Czechia Montenegro Faroe Islands Gibraltar |
European Qualified teams
| Teams | Qualified Date | Group | Appearances | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 14 October | K | 17 (first in 1950) | Winner – 1966 |
| France | 13 November | D | 17 (first in 1930) | Winner – 1998, 2018 |
| Croatia | 14 November | L | 7 (first in 1998) | Runners-up – 2018 |
| Portugal | 16 November | F | 9 (first in 1966) | Third place -(1966) |
| Norway | 16 November | I | 4 (first in 1938) | Round of 16 – (1998) |
| Germany | 17 November | A | 20 (first in 1934) | Winner – 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 |
| Netherlands | 17 November | G | 11 (first in 1934) | Runners-up – 1974, 1978, 2010 |
| Belgium | 17 November | J | 14 (first in 1938) | Third place (2018) |
| Spain | 17 November | E | 16 (first in 1934) | Winners (2010) |
| Switzerland | 17 November | B | 12 (first in 1934) | Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954) |
| Austria | 17 November | H | 7 (first in 1934) | Third place (1954) |
| Scotland | 17 November | C | 8 (first in 1954) | Group stage (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998) |
First Round of 2026 FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualification
The group matches started from UEFA on 21 March 2025.
(Last Update– 17 November 2025) and all European fixtures
Group A
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Germany
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Slovakia
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany (Q) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 15 |
| 2 | Slovakia | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 12 |
| 3 | Northern Ireland | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 14 | −13 | 0 |
Group B
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Switzerland
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Kosovo
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 14 |
| 2 | Kosovo | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 11 |
| 3 | Slovenia | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 4 |
| 4 | Sweden | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 2 |
Group C
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Denmark
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Scotland
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 13 |
| 2 | Denmark | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 11 |
| 3 | Greece | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 7 |
| 4 | Belarus | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 17 | −13 | 2 |
Group D
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – France
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Ukraine
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France (Q) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 4 | +12 | 16 |
| 2 | Ukraine | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 10 |
| 3 | Iceland | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 7 |
| 4 | Azerbaijan | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 1 |
Group E
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Spain
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Turkey
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 2 | +19 | 16 |
| 2 | Turkey | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 13 |
| 3 | Georgia | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 3 |
| 4 | Bulgaria | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 3 |
Group F
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Portugal
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Ireland
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal (Q) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 13 |
| 2 | Republic of Ireland | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 10 |
| 3 | Hungary | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 8 |
| 4 | Armenia | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 3 |
Group G
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Netherlands
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Poland
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands (Q) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 4 | +23 | 20 |
| 2 | Poland | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 17 |
| 3 | Finland | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 10 |
| 4 | Malta | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 19 | −15 | 5 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 3 |
Group H
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Austria
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Bosnia and Herzegovina
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 19 |
| 2 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 17 |
| 3 | Romania | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 13 |
| 4 | Cyprus | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | San Marino | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 39 | −37 | 0 |
Group I
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Norway
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Italy
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway (Q) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 5 | +32 | 24 |
| 2 | Italy | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 18 |
| 3 | Israel | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 12 |
| 4 | Estonia | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 21 | −13 | 4 |
| 5 | Moldova | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 32 | −27 | 1 |
Group J
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Belgium
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – North Macedonia
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 7 | +22 | 18 |
| 2 | Wales | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 11 | +10 | 16 |
| 3 | North Macedonia | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 13 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 8 |
| 5 | Liechtenstein | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 31 | −31 | 0 |
Group K
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – England (Q)
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Albania
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England (Q) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | +22 | 24 |
| 2 | Albania | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 14 |
| 3 | Serbia | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 13 |
| 4 | Latvia | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 5 |
| 5 | Andorra | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 1 |
Group L
- UEFA Group A Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Croatia
- Advance to the play-offs from Group A – Czech Republic
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia (Q) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 4 | +22 | 22 |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 16 |
| 3 | Faroe Islands | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 12 |
| 4 | Montenegro | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 9 |
| 5 | Gibraltar | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 28 | −25 | 0 |
UEFA Second Round
Qualified teams
- Runner-Up of Group A – Slovakia
- Runner-Up of Group B
- Runner-Up of Group C
- Runner-Up of Group D – Ukraine
- Runner-Up of Group E
- Runner-Up of Group F – Republic of Ireland
- Runner-Up of Group G – Poland
- Runner-Up of Group H
- Runner-Up of Group I – Italy
- Runner-up of Group J
- Runner-Up of Group K – Albania
- Runner-up of Group L – Czech Republic
What is the Schedule of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers?
The new schedule for the semi-final is out, the dates are from 26 March 2026, and the final matches are on 31 March 2026.
Groups of the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers ( UEFA )
16 UEFA nations will compete at the 48-team FIFA World Cup final in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The fixture list will be confirmed by FIFA in January 2025, the day following the draw. The Group stage match will run from March to November 2025.
When do the UEFA qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup kick off?
The European qualifiers kick off in March 2025, while the second-placed selection will begin in November.
How many European teams have qualified for the 2026 World CuP?
As of November 2025, England, France, Croatia, Portugal and 3 more teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
| S No | Country | Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | Erling Haaland | 16 |
| 2 | Netherlands | Memphis Depay | 8 |
| 3 | Austria | Marko Arnautović | 8 |
| 4 | England | Harry Kane | 8 |
| 5 | Croatia | Andrej Kramarić | 6 |
| 6 | Belgium | Kevin De Bruyne | 6 |
| 7 | Spain | Mikel Merino | 6 |
| 8 | Norway | Thelo Aasgaard | 5 |
| 9 | Italy | Mateo Retegui | 5 |
| 10 | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 |
| 11 | France | Kylian Mbappé | 5 |
| 12 | Norway | Alexander Sørloth | 5 |
| 13 | Bosnia | Edin Džeko | 5 |
