Germany will go into either Group A or Group I in European qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026, depending on whether they win or lose their UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Italy.
The draw for UEFA qualifying towards the next World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA was made on Friday, with 54 nations divided into 12 groups of either four or five teams, with place-holders and restrictions in place due to the culmination of the UEFA Nations League in 2025, with quarter-finals and play-offs still to be played.
As one of the eight Nations League quarter-finalists, Germany’s group and opponents are dependent on whether they progress to the semi-finals or lose to Italy in March. Should Julian Nagelsmann’s men win, they will be in the four-team Group A with Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. If they lose, Germany will be in the five-team Group I with Erling Haaland’s Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova.
Groups for European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
Group A
Winner quarter-final 4 (Germany/Italy), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
Group B
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C
Loser quarter-final 3 (Portugal/Denmark), Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D
Winner quarter-final 2 (France/Croatia), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E
Winner quarter-final 1 (Spain/Netherlands), Türkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F
Winner quarter-final 3 (Portugal/Denmark), Hungary, Ireland, Armenia
Group G
Loser quarter-final 1 (Spain/Netherlands), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I
Loser quarter-final 4 (Germany/Italy), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J
Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K
England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L
Loser quarter-final 2 (France/Croatia), Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
The 2026 World Cup will feature an increased 48 teams, meaning the amount of sides qualifying from the European section of the draw goes from 13 at the 2022 World Cup to 16 for the next edition, the highest allocation of any confederation.
The European qualifiers begin for five-team groups in March 2025 and for four team groups the following September. Group-stage qualifiers will then be complete in November 2025.
The group winners from each of the 12 sections qualify automatically for the 2026 finals. The 12 runners-up and four best-ranked UEFA Nations League sides from 2024/25 (who have not already filled either of the aforementioned categories) advance to a 16-team UEFA play-off consisting of one-legged semi-finals and a final to determine the last four qualifiers in March 2026.
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