2026 World Cup: draw for European qualifiers in Zurich (SUI) on 13/12/2024

"The UEFA preliminary draw for the 2026 World Cup (streamed live on FIFA.com and FIFA+), will be held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich (SUI) on 13/12/2024 at 12:00 CET," announced the International Federation on 19/11/2024, pointing out that the qualifying phase has already begun in the other five confederations (CAF, AFC, OFC, Concacaf and CONMEBOL).

"The expansion of FIFA's flagship event (from 32 to 48 teams) ahead of the 2026 instalment has seen the number of places for UEFA national teams increase from 13 (since 1998) to 16," explained FIFA.

"The UEFA qualifying group stage will begin in March 2025 and conclude in November 2025. It will follow a familiar format, with 12 groups of four or five teams, and the group winners securing a place at the FIFA World Cup. The four remaining places will then be decided in March 2026 in a 16-team UEFA play-off involving the 12 group-stage runners-up and the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League 2024-25 group winners that have neither qualified directly for the FIFA World Cup as group winners nor entered the play-offs already as group runners-up,…