NFL
Home
News
Teams
Scores
Schedule
Standings
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennesse Titans
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
NBA
Home
News
Teams
Scores
Schedule
Standings
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Golden State Warriors
LA Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Pelicans
San Antonio Spurs
MLB
Home
News
Teams
Scores
Schedule
Standings
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Guardians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Athletics
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
NCAAF
Home
News
Teams
Scores
Schedule
Standings
Rankings
ACC
Big 12
Big Ten
SEC
Soccer
Home
News
Teams
Leagues
Scores
Schedule
Standings
Women's Soccer
Premier League
Champions League
Europa League
MLS
NWSL
Arsenal
Chelsea
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
NHL
NCAAMB
NCAAWB
WNBA
Boxing
MMA
WWE
F1
NASCAR
Golf
Tennis
College
High School
Horse Racing
More Sports
fubo
Sling
Paramount+
Peacock
ESPN+
Apple TV
DAZN
Best Streaming Services
Best VPN Services
SiriusXM
Tickets
Stadium Guides
Soccer
NFL
NBA
MLB
NCAAF
Joe Wright
The UEFA section of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finally gets underway next March.
While Africa, Asia and South America are among those confederations to have made substantial progress in their qualification pools, European nations will see theirs condensed into a 12-month period.
The group stage begins in March 2025 and will run into November, with the playoff round being staged in March 2026. After then, we will know which 16 European sides will compete at the final tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The draw for the groups takes place on December 13. The Sporting News will update this page with the full standings and schedule once they are known.
MORE: Teams qualified for 2026 FIFA World Cup | Host cities in USA, Canada, and Mexico
There are 54 teams in total in UEFA’s World Cup qualifying section. They were split into five pots for the draw, depending on their position in the FIFA rankings: the strongest sides are in Pot 1, with the weakest in Pot 5.
MORE: Why Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup is so controversial
This page will be updated once the group-stage draw has been concluded on December 13.
Group matches will start in March 2025 and will conclude in November.
The playoffs take place in March 2026. The 16 teams involved will be split into four paths, with the overall winners of each path taking a place at the finals in North America.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 and runs through to July 19, 2026.
The opening game will see co-hosts Mexico face as-yet-unconfirmed opposition at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Fellow host nations Canada and the United States play their opening matches the following day: Canada’s fixture will be at BMO Field in Toronto, while the USMNT’s first game will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Joe Wright is a Senior Editor at Sporting News, managing global soccer and the UK team. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has extensive experience covering some of the biggest events in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup, which included the final in Moscow.