The seedings for the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw in Europe were finalized on Tuesday following the conclusion of the Nations League matches, where Slovakia and the Czech Republic achieved higher rankings.
FIFA will conduct the draw on December 13 in Zurich, determining the 12 qualifying groups for Europe. The top 12 teams in these groups will secure direct entry into the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico next November. An additional four spots will be filled through playoff matches.
Prior to Tuesday’s games, the 12 top-seeded nations had already been established. This group includes the eight quarterfinalists from the Nations League, along with four teams ranked highest by FIFA, including England.
Slovakia’s 1-0 victory over Estonia and the Czech Republic’s 2-1 win against Georgia ensured their places among the second-seeded teams, which consist of the next 12 highest-ranked nations according to FIFA.
As a result of these outcomes, Scotland has been relegated to pot 3, complicating its chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Europe will have 16 representatives in the expanded 48-team World Cup, with four additional spots determined through playoff knockout rounds in March 2026. The playoff field will include the 12 runners-up from the qualifying groups, as well as four teams that topped their Nations League groups, potentially featuring Northern Ireland, Moldova, and San Marino.
The upcoming FIFA draw is particularly intricate, as the eight Nations League quarterfinalists will serve as placeholders, with their exact placements to be confirmed after the two-leg quarterfinals on March 20 and 23.
The draw will organize 54 teams into six groups of four and six groups of five, with matches in the larger groups potentially starting as early as March or June. Notably, four spots in the four-team qualifying groups must be reserved for teams advancing to the Nations League Final Four in June, meaning World Cup qualifying matches cannot commence until September.
Additionally, Russia, the 55th member of UEFA, remains banned from international soccer due to its military actions in Ukraine.
World Cup Qualifying Groups Draw Seedings:
Pot 1: Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria.
Pot 2: Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.
Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Israel.
Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.
Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.
Related topics
- Which Is the Best Soccer Team in the World
- Who Invented “Soccer”
- Why Is Soccer Popular Everywhere but America
