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World Cup 2026: European qualification groups announced as England, France, Spain & Germany discover opponents

The 54 eligible member nations were distributed across 12 groups: six with four teams and six with five. Russia remains excluded due to its ongoing suspension. A total of 16 European teams will secure spots in the expanded 48-team World Cup. The 12 group winners will qualify directly, while the remaining four slots will be determined through play-offs scheduled for March 2026.

WHAT HAPPENED?

<table><tbody><tr><td>Group A</td><td>Winner of Germany vs Italy</td><td>Slovakia</td><td>Northern Ireland</td><td>Luxembourg</td><td>N/A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group B</td><td>Switzerland</td><td>Sweden</td><td>Slovenia</td><td>Kosovo</td><td>N/A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group C</td><td>Loser of Portugal vs Denmark</td><td>Greece</td><td>Scotland</td><td>Belarus</td><td>N/A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group D</td><td>Winner of France vs Croatia</td><td>Ukraine</td><td>Iceland</td><td>Azerbaijan</td><td>N/A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group E</td><td>Winner of Spain vs Netherlands</td><td>Turkiye</td><td>Georgia</td><td>Bulgaria</td><td>N/A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group F</td><td>Winner of Portugal or Denmark</td><td>Hungary</td><td>Republic of Ireland</td><td>Armenia</td><td>N/A</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group G</td><td>Loser of Spain vs Netherlands</td><td>Poland</td><td>Finland</td><td>Lithuania</td><td>Malta</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group H</td><td>Austria</td><td>Romania</td><td>Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina</td><td>Cyprus</td><td>San Marino</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group I</td><td>Loser of Germany vs Italy</td><td>Norway</td><td>Israel</td><td>Estonia</td><td>Moldova</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group J</td><td>Belgium</td><td>Wales</td><td>North Macedonia</td><td>Kazakhstan</td><td>Liechtenstein</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group K</td><td>England</td><td>Serbia</td><td>Albania</td><td>Latvia</td><td>Andorra</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Group L</td><td>Loser of France vs Croatia</td><td>Czechia</td><td>Montenegro</td><td>Faroe Islands</td><td>Gibraltar</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

WORLD CUP 2026 EUROPEAN QUALIFYING GROUPS

The play-offs will feature 16 teams: the 12 runners-up from the qualifying groups and the four best-ranked Nations League group winners who did not qualify directly or as runners-up. These 16 teams will be organised into four separate paths. Each path comprises a mini-knockout tournament, with the winner earning a place in the World Cup.

WHAT IS THE PLAYOFF PROCESS?

Political, geographical, and climatic considerations were taken into account during the group allocation process to avoid certain match-ups. Political tensions meant Ukraine were not placed with Belarus, Kosovo could not be grouped with Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Gibraltar was prohibited from playing Spain.Additionally, extreme weather conditions are a factor. Only two of the following countries - Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland - could be in the same group. The Faroe Islands and Iceland, being the most weather-sensitive, did not share a group. Geographical constraints also applied to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Iceland to minimise excessive travel distances during the qualifiers.

WHAT WERE THE RESTRICTIONS ON GROUP PAIRINGS?

The qualifiers will unfold across ten matchdays during five international windows. Matches will take place on these dates:March 21-25, 2025June 6-10, 2025September 4-9, 2025October 9-14, 2025November 13-18, 2025Teams will play a maximum of eight matches, meaning not all squads will feature in every window. The playoffs to finalize the remaining four spots are set for March 26-31, 2026.

WHEN WILL THE MATCHES BE PLAYED?

World Cup 2026: European qualification groups announced as England, France, Spain & Germany discover opponents | Goal.com Nigeria

The 2026 World Cup qualification groups have been announced as England boss Thomas Tuchel discovers his opponents.