At 12:00 on Friday, the groups for the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico (from June 11 to July 19) will be drawn at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.

World Cup Qualification Draw Pots (Europe)

Pot 1: Germany, France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria

Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway

Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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

How the lottery works

First, all the teams from Pot 1 are assigned to the twelve groups A to L in order. This is followed by pots 2 to 5, where each pot is completely emptied. Groups A to F will consist of four teams, G to L of five.

Who qualifies for the 2026 World Cup?

The twelve group winners will qualify directly, while the remaining four of the 16 places will be determined by play-offs. The twelve group runners-up and the top four group winners from the Nations League who have not already qualified will play there.

When do the matches take place?

The group stage of World Cup qualification begins in March and runs until November 2025, with the play-offs taking place in March 2026. Groups of five begin in March, groups of four in September 2025 - after the quarter-finals (March ) and the Final Four (June) in the League of Nations.