European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: When is the draw and how Nations League impacts schedule

The group stage of the Nations League is coming to an end, with attention soon turning to the World Cup Qualifiers starting next March.

Following England’s 5-0 win over Republic of Ireland, new Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel has avoided a promotion play-off as his first assignment, meaning he will embark on a fresh Qualifying campaign for the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026.

A total of 16 UEFA nations will compete at the tournament – an increase of three from the previous edition in 2022. The European Qualifiers are scheduled to begin in March 2025 and end with the play-offs precisely a year later.

When is the draw for the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers?

Teams are to be drawn into 12 groups of four or five teams in Zurich on Friday December 13.

Teams will play each other home and away. Teams drawn in groups of five will start Qualifying in March and teams drawn in groups of four start their campaigns in September. All groups conclude in November 2025.

UEFA will issue the fixture list with the dates and kick-off times of all 192 group-stage matches as soon as possible after the conclusion of the draw.

Will England be seeded in the draw?

All eight Nations League quarter-finalists are in Pot 1 of the World Cup draw, which will be completed by the four countries with the best FIFA world ranking.

England and Belgium are guaranteed to take Pot 1 slots as they are ranked fourth and sixth in the world respectively. As it stands, Switzerland and Austria will take the other two Pot 1 places.

The pots will not be known in full until after all Nations League group games have been played. Places are allocated by FIFA world ranking, so results this month could play a big part.

What happens to teams involved in the Nations League play-offs?

Scotland have confirmed their third-place finish in Nations League Group A1 with victory in Poland.

They will now play a two-legged play-off in March against a League B runner-up to determine who plays in the Nations League Group A in the next tournament. Two confirmed potential opponents are Greece and Austria, while the other two will be decided after Tuesday’s games. The draw for that is on Friday. Scotland will be at Hampden Park for the second leg.

Scotland are also set to be in Pot 3 for the World Cup Qualifiers, starting next summer. That is unless Czech Republic lose to Georgia or Slovakia lose to Estonia on Tuesday – in which case, they will rise into Pot 2.

As mentioned, incoming England boss Tuchel has avoided a promotion play-off following Sunday’s 5-0 win over Republic of Ireland, a result that guaranteed promotion back to League A of the Nations League.

Wales, meanwhile, must beat Iceland at home on Tuesday and hope Turkey drop points in Montenegro to win Group B3 and, like England, earn promotion to League A, otherwise they will be involved in the play-offs – either for promotion or relegation – as they would not be able to finish top.

Northern Ireland secured top spot in their group in League C after gaining a draw away at already-relegated Luxembourg.

Those involved in the March play-offs will then start their World Cup Qualifying campaigns in either June or September, depending on whether they are drawn in a five or four-team group.

So will we know all the groups on December 13?

No. Due to the Nations League play-offs in March, it means only four groups will be complete as of December 13.

Eight of the 12 World Cup groups will not know their full line-up until after that point.

Four of the groups with four teams will get a ‘winner of play-off tie’ while another four will include a ‘loser of play-off tie’.

How many European teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

As mentioned, 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.

How do play-offs for the 2026 World Cup work?

The 12 group runners-up will participate in the play-offs, along with the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 Nations League that did not finish their European Qualifiers group stage in first or second place.

The 16 nations that enter the play-offs will be drawn into four play-off paths, with four teams in each. Play-off games will be played over single-leg semi-finals followed by single-leg finals within the same international window of March 2026.

So the Nations League still matters?

Very much so. When it comes to the draw for World Cup qualification, each national team involved will also be placed in a ranked table, based on the performance in the 2024/25 Nations League.

Essentially, the four highest-ranked teams who do not then secure an automatic place at the 2026 World Cup will be granted a play-off safety net.

World Cup 2026 European qualifiers: Key dates

• Group-stage draw: December 13 2024
• Group-stage match dates: March to November 2025
• Play-off match dates: March 26-31 2026
• Final tournament dates: June 11 to July 19 2026