World Cup 2026 qualifying draw: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland discover opponents

England will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in 2026 World Cup qualifying, while Scotland could face Portugal or Denmark, Wales meet Belgium and Northern Ireland take on either Germany or Italy.

England were drawn in a five-team Group K, where Thomas Tuchel will take charge of the Three Lions against a Serbia side they beat in the Euro 2024 group stages under Gareth Southgate, thanks to a headed winner from Jude Bellingham.

England will also face Albania, who they beat across four meetings in qualifiers for the 2002 and 2022 World Cups, Latvia – who they have never played – and Andorra, who they beat by an aggregate score of 9-0 during 2022 World Cup qualifying.

England’s first fixtures in this group will be in March 2025.

Scotland will play in a four-team Group C, featuring the team which loses the Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark, as well as Greece and Belarus.

Scotland are also due to face Greece in March over two legs to decide if they stay in the top tier of the Nations League. Scotland will kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign in September 2025.

Wales were drawn in five-team Group J with Belgium, Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.

Wales famously beat Belgium at Euro 2016, and will start their qualifying bid in March 2025.

Northern Ireland will play in the four-team Group A against the winner of Germany or Italy from their Nations League quarter-final, as well as Slovakia and Luxembourg. That group will begin in September 2025.

Republic of Ireland will also start their qualifying campaign in September and they have been drawn in the four-team Group F with the winner of the Portugal-Denmark Nations League quarter-final and Hungary and Armenia.

• When and where is the 2026 World Cup?

How many European teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

A total of 16 UEFA nations will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The 12 group winners qualify directly, with the four remaining berths determined by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up.

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The groups in full…

Group A

Germany or Italy (Nations League QF winner), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg

Group B

Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo

Group C

Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF loser), Greece, Scotland, Belarus

Group D

France or Croatia (Nations League QF winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan

Group E

Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria

Group F

Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia

Group G

Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta

Group H

Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino

Group I

Germany or Italy (Nations League QF loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova

Group J

Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein

Group K

England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra

Group L

France or Croatia (Nations League QF loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar

World Cup 2026 European qualifiers: Key dates

• Group-stage match dates: March 21-25, June 6-10, September 4-9, October 9-14 and November 13-18, 2025
• Play-off match dates: March 26-31 2026
• Final tournament dates: June 11 to July 19 2026

When and where is the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

The tournament will take place across 16 cities in three North American countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is the first time a World Cup has been hosted by three nations.

The last time North America hosted the tournament was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed after beating Italy on penalties.

An expanded World Cup will feature 48 teams – 16 more than in Qatar 2022 – and take place across three host nations for the first time.

2026 World Cup – qualified teams

Only three teams so far are sure of their place at the finals: the hosts USA, Canada and Mexico.

World Cup 2026 schedule

The full fixture list with group games and kick-off times will only be available after the draw for the final tournament, which FIFA says is expected to take place towards the end of 2025.

But FIFA has already announced key dates and confirmed that the opening match will be held in Mexico City, with the final taking place at the New York New Jersey Stadium – home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Group stage: June 11-27 Round of 32: June 28 to July 3 Round of 16: July 4-7 Quarter-finals: July 9-11 Semi-finals: July 14-15 Third-place play-off (‘Bronze final’): July 18 Final: July 19

(c) Sky Sports 2024: World Cup 2026 qualifying draw: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland discover opponents