New England manager Thomas Tuchel will be in attendance for the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich.
Tuchel will not officially take charge of the Three Lions until January 1, but he is heading up a delegation from the Football Association. Winning the 2026 World Cup is Tuchel's sole goal, but he will first have to ensure that England qualify for the tournament which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
England are among the top seeds for the draw, meaning they will avoid the likes of Euro 2024 winners Spain and 2022 World Cup finalists France. However, they could come up against Greece, who recently beat them at home, or their Home Nations rivals.
Scroll down as Mirror Football brings you the latest from the draw…
Pot 1
France
Spain
England
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Italy
Germany
Croatia
Switzerland
Denmark
Austria
Pot 2
Ukraine
Sweden
Türkiye
Wales
Hungary
Serbia
Poland
Romania
Greece
Slovakia
Czechia
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
Thomas Tuchel’s team are in pot one with the top seeds, so will avoid the likes of European champions Spain, 2022 World Cup finalists France, plus Germany and Italy.
There are nevertheless some difficult opponents lying in wait. Pot two contains Greece, who recently beat England at Wembley, while Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Turkey and Wales are also in the second pot.
There is the possibility of England facing Wales plus one of Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland from pot three.
The qualification draw is complicated by the final stages of the Nations League. The four teams in Pot One who reach June’s Nations League finals will each need to be in a four-team World Cup qualifying group, because they cannot start playing regular qualifiers until September.
Teams involved in the two-leg Nations League promotion and relegation play-offs will also be unable to play World Cup qualifiers in March, but could still be drawn in a five-team group and play their eight qualifiers in the June, September, October and November international breaks.
The 54 eligible UEFA nations will be split into six groups of four teams, and six groups of five teams. Russia remain suspended.
Sixteen European countries in total will qualify for the first 48-team finals in 2026 – the 12 qualifying group winners automatically, and then four further teams via play-offs to be played in March 2026.
Sixteen countries will go into those play-offs – the 12 qualifying group runners-up plus the four best-ranked group winners from the Nations League who did not either win their group or finish runner-up in main qualifying.
These 16 teams will be drawn into four-team ‘paths’ with the winner of each securing a ticket to the tournament.
Hello and welcome to Mirror Football's coverage of the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw…
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