World Cup 2026 qualifying draw: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland discover opponents
England in World Cup qualifying Group K with Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra; Scotland face Portugal/Denmark, Greece and Belarus in Group C; Wales with Belgium, Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein in Group J; Northern Ireland with Germany/Italy, Slovakia and Luxembourg in Group A
Friday 13 December 2024 19:27, UK
England will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in 2026 World Cup qualifying, while Scotland could face Portugal or Denmark, Wales meet Belgium and Northern Ireland take on either Germany or Italy.
England were drawn in a five-team Group K, where Thomas Tuchel will take charge of the Three Lions against a Serbia side they beat in the Euro 2024 group stages under Gareth Southgate, thanks to a headed winner from Jude Bellingham.
England will also face Albania, who they beat across four meetings in qualifiers for the 2002 and 2022 World Cups, Latvia - who they have never played - and Andorra, who they beat by an aggregate score of 9-0 during 2022 World Cup qualifying.
England's first fixtures in this group will be in March 2025.
Scotland will play in a four-team Group C, featuring the team which loses the Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark, as well as Greece and Belarus.
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Steve Clarke's side will also face Greece in March over two legs to decide if they stay in the top tier of the Nations League. Scotland will kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign in September 2025.
Wales were drawn in five-team Group J with Belgium, Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
Wales famously beat Belgium at Euro 2016, and will start their qualifying bid in March 2025.
"It's a good group," said Wales head coach Craig Bellamy. "We're going to have to do our homework really well, and hopefully try and attack it and finish top of the group," he said.
Northern Ireland will play in the four-team Group A against the winner of Germany or Italy from their Nations League quarter-final, as well as Slovakia and Luxembourg. That group will begin in September 2025.
Republic of Ireland will also start their qualifying campaign in September and they have been drawn in the four-team Group F with the winner of the Portugal-Denmark Nations League quarter-final and Hungary and Armenia.
Qualification is Tuchel's 'top priority'
Asked about facing Serbia and Albania, England boss Tuchel said: "They are always very talented individual players, a very emotional group, a very emotional crowd. So they can always surprise.
"We have to take this very seriously. It's a first fixture with Latvia, so a new challenge for all of us.
"And then we are clear favourites, of course, against Andorra, but qualification is key now. Qualification is top priority. We have to be serious. We have to be determined, and we have to show what we're up for in this group of five."
Tuchel was asked if he was confident of finishing top of the group, and replied: "I don't see it as a given. The gap closes more and more between the big nations and the small nations. You see it in the Euros lately.
"There are no such thing as results that are already done before the match is played. The smaller nations have become stronger and stronger. So we have to earn our place. We have to earn our top spot."
Clarke 'desperate' to lead Scotland back to World Cup stage
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke told Sky Sports News:
"I'm never one for looking too deep into draws - you just have to accept what you get and get on with it. It could have been worse, could have been better.
"[We face] a difficult pot one team - it doesn't matter if it's Portugal or Denmark. Greece we'll get to know very well over the next year because we play them twice in March [in the Nations League play-offs] and twice again later in the year.
"Belarus, I don't know too much about just now, but I'll make sure I do my homework and I'll know a lot more about them by the time we get to playing them.
"We're in a four-team group, we know what we have to do - finish first or second to qualify.
"For everyone connected with Scotland, we're desperate to get back to a 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 appreciate the Tartan Army want to be there as well - they showed that in Germany in the summer - hopefully we can take them to USA, Mexico and Canada."
How many European teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
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.
The groups in full...
Group A
Germany or Italy (Nations League QF winner), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
Group B
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C
Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF loser), Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D
France or Croatia (Nations League QF winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E
Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F
Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia
Group G
Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I
Germany or Italy (Nations League QF loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J
Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K
England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L
France or Croatia (Nations League QF loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
World Cup 2026 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
- Play-off match dates: March 26-31 2026
- Final tournament dates: June 11 to July 19 2026
When and where is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA men's World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The tournament will take place across 16 cities in three North American countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is the first time a World Cup has been hosted by three nations.
The last time North America hosted the tournament was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed after beating Italy on penalties.
An expanded World Cup will feature 48 teams - 16 more than in Qatar 2022 - and take place across three host nations for the first time.
2026 World Cup - qualified teams
Only three teams so far are sure of their place at the finals: the hosts USA, Canada and Mexico.
World Cup 2026 schedule
The full fixture list with group games 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 be held 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 stage: June 11-27 Round of 32: June 28 to July 3 Round of 16: July 4-7 Quarter-finals: July 9-11 Semi-finals: July 14-15 Third-place play-off ('Bronze final'): July 18 Final: July 19
