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 against ' Germany or Italy.
England drawn in Group K of five, where Thomas Tuchel will lead the Three Lions against Serbia they beat the Euro 2024 group stages under Gareth Southgate, thanks to Jude Bellingham's top scorer.
England will also face him Albaniawho they beat in four meetings in qualifiers for the 2002 and 2022 World Cups, Latvia – who they have never played – and Andorrawho they defeated by an aggregate score of 9-0 to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
England's first games in this group will be at home, with Albania visiting on 21 March 2025 and Latvia three days later.
Jude Bellingham scores against Serbia for England at Euro 2024
Scotland will play in a four-team Group C, featuring the losing team in the Nations League season finale between Portugal and Denmarkapart from Greece and Belarus.
Steve Clarke's side also face Greece in March over two legs to decide whether they stay in the top tier of the Nations League.
They begin their World Cup qualifying campaign with trips to Portugal or Denmark on September 5, then Belarus three days later.
Scotland are unbeaten in their last three games – beating Poland and Croatia, as well as drawing with Portugal
Wales drawn in Group J of five with Belgium, Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
Wales beat Belgium at Euro 2016, and will begin their qualification bid at home to Kazakhstan in March 2025, before facing North Macedonia away.
“It's a good group,” said Wales head coach Craig Bellamy. “We have to do our homework very well, and hopefully try to attack and finish at the top of the group,” he said.
Northern Ireland they will play in Group A with four teams against the winner Germany or Italy from their Nations League semi-final, as well Slovakia and Luxembourg. That group will start in September 2025 with Michael O'Neill's team away to Luxembourg and Germany or Italy.
Republic of Ireland they will also begin their qualifying campaign in September and have been drawn in a four-team Group F with the winner of the Portugal-Denmark Nations League final and opening opponents Hungary and Armenia.
Qualification is Tuchel's top priority
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
England manager Thomas Tuchel believes qualifying for the World Cup may not be as easy as many think
Asked about facing Serbia and Albania, England boss Tuchel said: “They are always talented individual players, an emotional group, a very emotional crowd. So they can always surprise.
“We have to take this very seriously. This is the first game with Latvia, so a new challenge for all of us.
“And then we really like Andorra, of course, but qualification is important now. Qualification is a priority. group of five.”
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
FA chairman Debbie Hewitt – who is also a FIFA vice-president – has defended the governing body's decision to back the hosting of 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 it as a given. The gap is closing more and more between the big countries and the small countries.You see it in the Euros recently.
“There is no such thing as results that are already made before the game is played. The smaller countries have become stronger and stronger. So we have to earn our place. We have to to earn our top spot.”
Clarke 'desperate' to lead Scotland back to World Cup stage
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke reflects on Scotland's qualifying draw for the 2026 World Cup where they will face Portugal or Denmark, Greece and Belarus.
Scotland senior coach Steve Clarke told Sky Sports News:
“I'm never one to look too deep into draws – you just have to accept what you get and get on with it. It could have been worse, it could have been better.
“(We face) a tough one-team pot – it doesn't matter if it's Portugal or Denmark. Greece will be very familiar next year as we play them twice in March (in the Nations League play-offs. ) and twice later in the year.
“Belarus, I don't know too much about them at the moment, but I'll make sure I do my homework and know a lot more about them before we play them.
“We are in a group of four teams, we know what we have to do – finish first or second to qualify.
“For everyone connected with Scotland, we really want to get back to the World Cup. It was 1998 – a long time ago – I was still playing, so that was a long time ago!
“We want to get there. We understand that the Tartan Army wants to be there too – they showed that in Germany this summer – hopefully we can take them to the USA, Mexico and Canada. “
How many European teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
16 UEFA nations will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The group 12 winners qualify directly, with the remaining four places determined by play-offs involving the 12 second-placed groups.
The groups as a whole…
Group A
Germany or Italy (QF Nations League winner), Slovakia, Northern IrelandLuxembourg
Group B
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C
Portugal or Denmark (QF Nations League loser), Greece, ScotlandBelarus
Group D
France or Croatia (QF Nations League winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E
Spain or Holland (QF Nations League winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F
Portugal or Denmark (QF Nations League winner), Hungary, Republic of IrelandArmenia
Group G
Spain or Netherlands (QF Nations League loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I
Germany or Italy (QF Nations League loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J
Belgium, WalesNorth Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K
EnglandSerbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L
France or Croatia (QF Nations League loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
2026 World Cup European Qualifiers: Key Dates
- Group stage match dates: March 21-25, June 6-10, September 4-9, October 9-14 and November 13-18, 2025
- Playoff dates: 26-31 March 2026
- Final dates of the competition: 11 June to 19 July 2026
When and where is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup will take place between 11 June and 19 July 2026.
The tournament will be held across 16 cities in three North American countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. This is the first time that the World Cup has been held by three countries.
The last time North America hosted the tournament was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed after beating 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 – qualified teams
Only three teams are so far certain of their place at the finals: the hosts United States, Canada and Mexico.
2026 World Cup Schedule
The full fixture list with group matches and kick-off times will only be available after the draw for the final tournament, which FIFA says is expected to take place towards the end of 2025.
But FIFA has already announced key dates and confirmed that the opening match will take place in Mexico City, with the final taking place at the New York New Jersey Stadium – home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.
Group level: June 11-27 Round 32: 28 June to 3 July Round 16: July 4-7 quarter finals: July 9-11 semi-finals: July 14-15 Third place play-off ('Bronze Final'): 18 July Final: 19 July
Source link
