FILIP SINGER / EFE
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers 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
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers draw: Pot 5 teams
Moldova
Malta
Andorra
Gibraltar
Liechtenstein
San Marino
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers draw: Pot 4 teams
Bulgaria
Luxembourg
Kosovo
Belarus
Armenia
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan
Estonia
Cyprus
Faroe Islands
Latvia
Lithuania
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers draw: Pot 3 teams
Scotland
Slovenia
Republic of Ireland
Albania
North Macedonia
Georgia
Finland
Iceland
Northern Ireland
Montenegro
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Israel
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers draw: Pot 2 teams
Ukraine
Sweden
Turkey
Wales
Hungary
Serbia
Poland
Greece
Romania
Slovakia
Czech Republic
Norway
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers draw: Pot 1 teams
Each of the 12-team groups will contain one team from each pot. The pot 1 teams are:
Spain
Germany
Portugal
France
Italy
Netherlands
Denmark
Croatia
England
Belgium
Switzerland
Austria
How many teams qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The days of the neat-and-tidy 32-team World Cup are (sadly) over. For the first time, the 2026 edition will have 48 participants in the finals, which means things are going to get slightly messy. 
There will be 12 groups of four teams, with the top two from each group (24 teams) progressing. They will then be joined by the best eight third-placed teams, who will make up the round of 32. Previously, the first knockout round in the FIFA World Cup was the round of 16. But, y’know, more games equals more money. 
16 of the 48 qualifiers will be from Europe, which is three more than in recent 32-team World Cups. 
T-1 hour to UEFA qualifying draw for World Cup 2026
An hour to go until the draw! From Andorra to Wales (no European countries start with Z, sadly), they'll be playing close attention to this one. Which teams will be heading stateside in the summer of 2026? 
JUAN MABROMATA / AFP
The US soccer boom
The United States has already hosted the Copa América in 2016 and 2024, while the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and potentially the 2029 edition, are on the way, along with the 2026 World Cup. Soccer continues to take off stateside. 
FIFA World Cup 2026 venues
Wondering where exactly the games are going to be played at World Cup 2026? We've got you covered!
USA
Dallas Stadium – Arlington, Texas (capacity 94,000)
New York New Jersey Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity 82,500)
Atlanta Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia (capacity 75,000)
Kansas City Stadium – Kansas City, Missouri (73,000)
Houston Stadium – Houston, Texas (capacity 72,000)
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium – Santa Clara, California (71,000)
Los Angeles Stadium – Inglewood, California (70,000)
Philadelphia Stadium – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (69,000)
Seattle Stadium – Seattle, Washington (capacity 69,000)
Boston Stadium – Foxborough, Massachusetts (65,000)
Miami Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida (capacity 65,000)
Canada
Toronto Stadium – Toronto (capacity: 45,000)
BC Place Vancouver – Vancouver (capacity 54,000)
Mexico
Estadio Azteca Mexico City – Mexico City (capacity 83,000)
Estadio Monterrey – Guadalupe (capacity 53,500)
Estadio Guadalajara – Zapopan (capacity 48,000)
Dennis Schneidler / USA TODAY Sports
The FIFA World Cup comes (back) to the United States!
Either the United States or the Middle East seems to be getting to host every tournament under the sun at the moment and the FIFA World Cup 2026 is no exception. The tournament will come back to the US after its 1994 debut…but don’t forget Mexico and Canada too. 
For many, two of the most iconic World Cups of all time (1970) and (1986) were played on Mexican soil, so hopes are high for this one. 
What time does the draw start?
The draw is due to get underway at 12:00 p.m. local time in Zurich, Switzerland, the home of FIFA’s headquarters. That’s 6:00 a.m. ET and 3:00 a.m. PT. Well worth getting up early/staying up late for, if you ask me. 
Between now and then, we’ll take a look at what the next World Cup is going to look like, which teams we need to look out for and how the draw is going to work. Plenty of fun to be had in the next hour or so. 
Hello and welcome to the UEFA/European draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026!
Gripped by World Cup fever yet? Probably not, to be fair, as there are still 18 months to go until the tournament gets underway in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Still, it’s edging ever closer and today we’ll learn what the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal need to do to ensure they grace the world’s biggest international soccer competition with their presence.
The draw for European qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming right up, thanks for joining me (Roddy)!
About the author
Roddy Cons
Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

source

Post Views: 1