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

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

New England boss Thomas Tuchel is set to avoid a promotion play-off as his first assignment, meaning he would 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 and 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 week could play a big part.

For example, Scotland are currently set to be in Pot 3 but good results against Croatia and Poland could lift them into Pot 2.

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

This is the scenario that Tuchel is hoping England avoid in Lee Carsley’s final game as interim boss.

England must simply match Greece’s result in the final set of Group B2 Nations League games to gain promotion to League A.

Should they fail to do so, they will be involved in a two-legged promotion play-off in March against a nation that finishes third in League A.

Likewise, third in League B will face second in League C. The winners will play in the higher league.

Wales are guaranteed to be involved in the play-offs if they lose to Turkey this weekend in Group B3 – either a promotion or relegation play-off – as they would not be able to finish top.

Northern Ireland currently sit top of their group in League C but it is still conceivable for them to be automatically promoted, face a promotion play-off or relegation play-off with two games remaining.

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 won’t 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 UEFA 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 UEFA 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 playoff safety net.

World Cup 2026 European qualifiers: Key dates

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