England will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, while Scotland could face Portugal or Denmark, Wales will meet Belgium and Northern Ireland will meet Germany or Italy.
England The draw has been in five-team Group K, where Thomas Tuchel will take charge of the Three Lions against A Serbia They beat the team in the group stages of Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate, thanks to a header from Jude Bellingham.
It will also face England AlbaniaThey defeated them in four matches in the 2002 and 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Latvia – Who have never played – and Andorrawhom they beat by an aggregate score of 9-0 in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
England's first matches in this group will be at home, as it visits Albania on March 21, 2025, and Latvia three days later.
Jude Bellingham scored against Serbia for England in Euro 2024
Scotland They will play in the four-team third group, which includes the team that lost the UEFA Nations League quarter-final between them Portugal and Denmarkbesides Greece and Belarus.
Steve Clarke's side will also face Greece in March over two matches to determine whether they remain in the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.
It will begin its World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to Portugal or Denmark on September 5, then to Belarus three days later.
Scotland did not lose in its last three matches, as it won over Poland and Croatia, in addition to a draw with Portugal
Wales They were placed in Group J consisting of five teams with Belgium, Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
Wales beat Belgium in Euro 2016 and will begin their qualifying campaign at home to Kazakhstan in March 2025, before facing North Macedonia away from home.
“It's a good group,” Wales coach Craig Bellamy said. “We'll have to do our job really well and hopefully try to attack it and finish top of the group,” he said.
Northern Ireland The first group of four teams will play against the winner Germany or Italy From the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, as well Slovakia and Luxembourg. This group will start in September 2025 with Michael O'Neill's side away to Luxembourg, Germany or Italy.
Republic of Ireland The national team will also begin its qualifying campaign in September, drawn in the four-team Group F with the winner of the tournament Portugal-Denmark UEFA Nations League quarter-finals and opening opponents Hungary and Armenia.
Qualification is Tuchel's “top priority”.
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Thomas Tuchel, England national team coach, believes that qualifying for the FIFA World Cup may not be as easy as many imagine
In response to a question about facing Serbia and Albania, England coach Tuchel said: “They are always very talented players individually, a very emotional group, and a very emotional crowd. So they can always surprise.”
“We have to take this seriously. It's the first match against Latvia, so it's a new challenge for all of us.
“And then we are clear favourites, of course, against Andorra, but qualification is the key now. Qualification is the top priority. We have to be serious. We have to be determined, and we have to show what we are prepared for in this tournament. Group of five.”
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
FA president Debbie Hewitt – who is also FIFA vice-president – defended the governing body's decision to support hosting the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Tuchel was asked if he was confident of finishing top of the group, and he replied: “I don’t see that as a given. The gap is narrowing more and more between the big countries and the small countries. You also see that in the euro recently.” .
“There is no such thing as results that are already made before the match is played. The smaller countries are getting stronger and stronger. So we have to earn our place. We have to earn first place.”
Clarke is 'desperate' to lead Scotland back to the World Cup stage
Please use Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player
Scotland coach Steve Clarke talks about the 2026 World Cup qualifiers draw, where they will face Portugal or Denmark, Greece and Belarus.
Scotland Head coach Steve Clark He said Sky Sports News:
“I'm not one to look deeply at draws, you just have to accept what you get and move on. It could have been worse, it could have been better.”
“(We face) a difficult team in the first level, it doesn't matter if it's Portugal or Denmark. We'll get to know Greece well over the next year because we'll play them twice in March (in the UEFA Nations League qualifiers).” ) and twice again later in the year.
“I don't know much about Belarus now, but I'll make sure I do my homework and I'll know a lot about it by the time we play.
“We are in a group of four teams, and we know what we have to do – finish first or second to qualify.
“For everyone involved with Scotland, we're dying to get back to the World Cup. That was 1998 – a long time ago – I was still playing, so that was a long time ago!”
“We want to get there. We appreciate the Tartan Army wanting to be there too – they demonstrated that in Germany in the summer – and we hope we can take them to the USA, Mexico and Canada.”
How many European teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
A total of 16 UEFA teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The winners of the 12 groups qualify directly, with the remaining four seats being determined through play-off matches that include the runners-up of the 12 groups.
Complete sets…
Group A
Germany or Italy (winner of the qualifying Nations League), Slovakia, Northern IrelandLuxembourg
Group B
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C
Portugal or Denmark (loser in the UEFA Nations League qualifiers), Greece, ScotlandBelarus
Group D
France or Croatia (winner of the Nations League qualifiers), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E
Spain or Netherlands (winner of the Nations League qualifiers), Türkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F
Portugal or Denmark (winner of the Nations League qualifiers), Hungary, Republic of IrelandArmenia
Group G
Spain or Netherlands (loser in Nations League qualifiers), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
First group
Germany or Italy (loser in the Nations League qualifiers), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J
Belgium, WalesNorth Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K
EnglandSerbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L
France or Croatia (loser in Nations League qualifiers), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
2026 European World Cup qualifiers: key dates
- Group stage match dates: March 21-25, June 6-10, September 4-9, October 9-14, November 13-18, 2025
- Playoff dates: March 26-31, 2026
- Final tournament dates: June 11 to July 19, 2026
When and where will the 2026 World Cup be held?
The 2026 Men's World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The tournament will be held in 16 cities in three countries in North America: US, Canada and Mexico. This is the first time that three countries are hosting the World Cup.
The last time North America hosted the tournament was in 1994, when Brazil emerged victorious after defeating Italy on penalties.
The expanded World Cup will feature 48 teams – 16 more than Qatar 2022 – and will be held across three host countries for the first time.
World Cup 2026 – Qualifying Teams
Only three teams are so far certain of their place in the finals: the home team United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
2026 World Cup match schedule
The full fixture list with group matches and kick-off times will not be available until after the final tournament draw, which FIFA says is expected to take place at the end of 2025.
But FIFA has already announced the key dates and confirmed that the opening match will be held in Mexico City, with the final match being held at 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-final: July 14-15 Third place match (“Bronze Final”): July 18 last: July 19
