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The Three Lions will be hoping to go the distance under their new German boss after several near misses
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England and the rest of Europe will be watching on as the World Cup 2026 qualifying draw takes place on Friday morning, with the Uefa zone groups set to be laid out.
With Thomas Tuchel now joining as head coach after the departure of long-serving Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions will be aiming to go a step further than they managed under the man who revitalised the national team, having lost in the finals of both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.
The qualifying campaign – for the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States – runs from late March 2025 through to mid-November, with play-offs for those who need them being played out in March 2026. Six groups of four nations and six groups of five are to be drawn, with first place in each group automatically yielding a spot at the finals in 18 months.
Follow the live blog for the 2026 World Cup qualifying groups below:
Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, and Austria
Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czechia, and Norway
Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Israel
Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, and Lithuania
Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, and San Marino
Everything you need to know about the qualification process for the tournament
The 12 group winners qualify directly for the World Cup; the four remaining berths are determined by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up and the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 Nations League that did not finish their World Cup qualifying group stage in first or second place.
The key dates are below:
Group stage match dates: March to November 2025
Play-off match dates: 26-31 March 2026
2026 Fifa World Cup: 11 June to 19 July 2026
So how does today’s qualifying draw actually work?
Well, teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four and five teams, with traditional home-and-away matches and “all play all” principles retained. Those in groups of five will begin their campaigns in March 2025, while the groups of four will not get underway until September. In total, 16 teams will qualify for the tournament.
The other thing that this week has served to highlight is the outsized power that Fifa president Gianni Infantino has amassed. Miguel Delaney examines the structure that has allowed both Infantino and Uefa counterpart Aleksander Ceferin to become almost autocratic in their leadership of the sport.
Football’s lack of democracy is under the spotlight after the bidding process for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups was left with single candidates. As Miguel Delaney writes, it mirrors the executive president structure at the top of the game
Many lives will be put at risk by the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, human rights campaign group Amnesty International has warned.
The Middle East nation was officially confirmed as hosts at an online Fifa Congress on Wednesday afternoon.
Securing the tournament is arguably the most significant sporting step taken so far by Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of efforts to ‘sportswash’ its reputation through linking itself to major competitions, clubs and events.
Amnesty and other human rights groups have warned about what they see as the multiple risks attached to a Saudi World Cup, and believe Fifa has failed to learn lessons from handing the 2022 event to Qatar.
Amnesty have described the decision to award the 2034 tournament to the nation as ‘reckless’
Focus switches back to the 2026 tournament today but it’s been a busy week for World Cup news. Here’s Miguel Delaney on the rather absurd scenes on Wednesday:
The decision to hand Saudi Arabia the 2034 tournament was remotely applauded through by Fifa’s congress in ludicrous scenes and Miguel Delaney explains how this Gianni Infantino-led endeavour perfectly encapsulated the depths to which football has sunk
Thomas Tuchel is incoming then, with one simple remit: go and win it.
We know England have reached consecutive Euros finals, but what about the World Cup? Here’s the recent (and not so recent) form….
The message to Lee Carsley consisted of two words. The message from him was longer. The big screens at either end of Wembley after beating Ireland displayed the thoughts of the FA, which seemed echoed by the England team: “Thank you.” And yet, Carsley suggested, goodbye may not be forever.
He will retreat into the shadows, where an unassuming man often seems most comfortable, to return to the lower-profile task of managing the Under-21s.
But Thomas Tuchel only has an 18-month contract. Carsley can seem the anti-Tuchel, without the charisma or the powers of communication, the medal collection or the spells in charge of superpower clubs. He hands over to the German, offering to give him a comprehensive debrief, but with a renewed belief he could be his successor.
The interim boss returns to the U21s with the confidence he has what it takes to excel for the senior side
Jordan Pickford said his top target is to win the World Cup 2026 after twice coming so close to securing England’s first major men’s trophy in decades.
The goalkeeper played in the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 when England lost to Italy on penalties and Spain, courtesy of a late goal.
Pickford is encouraged by the appointment of the Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel as England look to end a wait for silverware that dates back to the 1966 World Cup.
“The new manager is going to come in January and he’s a winner,” said Pickford. “Our main target is to get to USA and lift that trophy. Our focus is definitely… because we’ve been so close, we want to go that one step further.”
After being runner-up twice, the goalkeeper wants a World Cup win for the Three Lions
Good morning all – for those desperately awaiting the next installment of international football, you’re in luck: no action on the pitch today, but the planning for the road to glory in Mexico, Canada and the USA starts here.
We’ve got the Uefa zone qualifying group draw coming up, with England and the other home nations ready to see who stands in their way to reach the finals for the World Cup in 2026.
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