Official: Draw pots for the European qualification for the 2026 World Cup determined

The draw for the European qualification for the 2026 World Cup will take place in Zurich on December 13, and FIFA has officially announced which teams will be in which pot for the ceremony.

According to a FIFA press release, the draw pots will be as follows:

• Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria.
• Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.
• Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of 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.

The group stage will begin in March 2025 and conclude in November 2025. It will follow the usual format: 12 groups with four or five teams, with the group winners earning a place at the World Cup.

The remaining four spots will be decided in March 2026 in the UEFA playoffs, involving 16 teams. This will include 12 group winners and four winners from the UEFA Nations League 2024–25 groups who did not directly qualify for the World Cup as group winners and did not make it to the playoffs as group winners.