2026 World Cup qualifiers: Format and draw details

As the football world looks ahead to the 2026 World Cup, preparations are already underway for the qualification process. Following Spain’s victory at Euro 2024, the next major international tournament will be the World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While qualifications have already begun in other regions, European teams are gearing up for their own unique format.

The new qualification structure was unveiled by UEFA on January 25. A total of 55 national teams will be divided into 12 groups, with each group consisting of four or five teams. The preliminary rounds have been streamlined to allow for these smaller groups. The winners of each group will secure a spot in the final tournament, while the runners-up and four additional teams with the best Nations League rankings will enter a playoff round.

The draw for the group stage is set to occur on December 13, where the top eight teams from the Nations League will be seeded. This includes the four group winners and four runners-up who will advance to the playoffs. The remaining seeds will come from FIFA’s rankings for teams that did not qualify directly.

Current Seedings

The preliminary seeding for the draw is as follows:

First Seed: France, Spain, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Croatia

Second Seed: Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden, Wales, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Romania, Czech Republic, Norway

Third Seed: Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, Finland, Georgia, North Macedonia, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Israel

Fourth Seed: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Armenia, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Lithuania

Fifth Seed: Moldova, Andorra, Malta, San Marino, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein

While the fourth and fifth seeds have been determined already, there may still be changes to the first three tiers as teams continue to compete in their respective leagues.

Italy is assured a place in the top seed category based on their current standing and performance.

Key Dates

The qualification matches are scheduled to take place from March 21 to November 18 in 2025. The playoff matches will follow shortly after on March 26 and March 31 in 2026. This extended timeline reflects the expanded format of the World Cup itself which now accommodates 48 teams instead of the previous 32.

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