With England completing its latest Nations League campaign in November, they will return to League A in the process to seal the promotion.
You will be asked to think in the qualifying rounds for the 2026 tournament, which is scheduled to start in March 2026. Now it’s within 18 months of the next edition of the next Quadrennial Tournament, but there are already some Confederates in the middle of the qualification process.
Following the qualifying stage draw in December, the teams can begin navigating their path to taking part in the North American World Cup since 1994.
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UEFA World Cup Qualifying Lottery Information
Teams are drawn into 12 groups of four or five teams, playing away from home with each other. Teams drawn in one of four five team groups will begin qualifying in March, while teams drawn in one of six four team groups will begin campaigning in September. All groups will close in November 2025.
The UK is drawn into Group K, with Thomas Tuschel’s first mission being as the English boss clashes with Albania and Latvia at home.
The 12 group winners will secure a place at the 2026 World Cup, with the remaining four UEFA spots being claimed by the playoff winners involving 12 runner-ups.
UEFA World Cup Qualifying Group (AF) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group a | Group b | Group c | Group d | Group e | Group f |
Germany or Italy | Switzerland | Portugal or Denmark | France or Croatia | Spain or the Netherlands | Portugal or Denmark |
Slovakia | Sweden | Greece | Ukraine | turkey | Hungary |
Northern Ireland | Slovenia | Scotland | Iceland | Georgia | Republic of Ireland |
Luxembourg | Kosovo | Belarus | Azerbaijan | Bulgaria | Armenia |
UEFA World Cup Qualifying Group (GL) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group g | Group h | Group I | Group J | Group k | Group l |
Spain or the Netherlands | Austria | Germany or Italy | Belgium | England | France or Croatia |
Poland | Romania | Norway | Wales | Serbia | Czech Republic |
Finland | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Israel | North Macedonia | Albania | Montenegro |
Lithuania | Cyprus | Estonia | Kazakhstan | Latvia | Faroe Islands |
Malta | San Marino | Moldova | Liechtenstein | Andorra | Gibraltar |
UEFA World Cup Qualifying Playoffs
Runner-ups from each of the 12 qualifying groups secured a playoff spot, with four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 Nations League finishing first or second in the qualifying group.
These 16 teams are drawn into four playoff passes with four teams on each route. The semi-finals will be played on one foot, followed by a single-leg final between the same international windows in March 2026, months before the start of the World Cup.
UEFA World Cup Qualifying Date
The group stages of the qualifying rounds will be held between March and November 2025. The playoff fixture will take place between March 26th and 31st, 2026. Like the tournament itself, it will begin on June 11th and last will be held on July 19th, 2026.
Thomas Tuchel’s confirmed English fixture list | |||
|---|---|---|---|
date | Opposition | h/a | competition |
March 21st Free | Albania | h | World Cup Qualifications |
March 24th | Latvia | h | World Cup Qualifications |
Saturday, June 7th | Andorra | a | World Cup Qualifications |
June 10th | Senegal | h | Friendly |
Saturday, September 6th | Andorra | h | World Cup Qualifications |
September 9th | Serbia | a | World Cup Qualifications |
You’re on October 9th | Wales | h | Friendly |
Tuesday, October 14th | Latvia | a | World Cup Qualifications |
November 13th | Serbia | h | World Cup Qualifications |
Sunday, November 16th | Albania | a | World Cup Qualifications |
World Cup 2026 format
Since 2026, a total of 48 countries have fought to bring back the World Cup trophy after seven consecutive tournaments with 32 participants.
This means that each coalition will win more places in the final tournament. UEFA has won 16 spots, CAF has now won nine spots (up from 5), while AFC countries have eight spots instead of 4.5 they previously enjoyed.
Elsewhere, the CONCACAF team has six spots, with three going to hosts in the US, Canada and Mexico. Conmebol has six spots (up from 4.5), while OFC has a guaranteed spot, rather than the 0.5 that was previously offered.
For the competition to grow, the format changes slightly. The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four teams.
The top two of each group will create 32 rounds to qualify for knockout stages and eight best third-place teams.
From then on, there will be a straight knockout tournament to see who will be the winner at MetLife Stadium, just west of New York City.
A complete list of venues and their abilities can be found in the table below for the tournament that has returned to North America for the first time since 1994.
The 2026 World Cup venue | |
|---|---|
Stadium | capacity |
Metlife Stadium, New York | 82,500 |
AT&T Stadium, Dallas | 80,000 |
Gehafield at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City | 76,416 |
NRG Stadium, Houston | 72,220 |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | 71,000 |
Sophie Stadium, Los Angeles | 70,240 |
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia | 69,796 |
Lumen Field in Seattle | 69,000 |
Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco | 68,500 |
Gillette Stadium in Boston | 65,878 |
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami | 64,767 |
BC Place, Vancouver | 54,500 |
BMO Field in Toronto | 45,000 |
Aztec Stadium, Mexico City | 87,523 |
BBVA Stadium, Monterrey | 53,500 |
Via Sports Illustrated | |
The 1994 US World Cup was the final World Cup featuring 24 teams, with the next US team making its 48 competitive debut.
But before that, UEFA qualifiers will see who will make over the pond from Europe in 18 months.
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