The road to the FIFA World Cup 26™ has been mapped out for Europe’s 54 hopefuls at the UEFA Preliminary Draw in Zurich.

A record-high number of 16 places are up for grabs for UEFA representatives at the historic 48-team showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Eight of the 12 sections will only have a confirmed Pot 1 team after March’s UEFA Nations League (UNL) quarter-finals, as outlined in more detail in the draw procedures.

FIFA World Cup 26™: UEFA Preliminary Draw results

Group A Winner Italy - Germany (UNL QF4) Slovakia Northern Ireland Luxembourg

Group B Switzerland Sweden Slovenia Kosovo

Group C Defeated team Denmark - Portugal (UNL QF3) Greece Scotland Belarus

Group D Winner Croatia - France (UNL QF2) Ukraine Iceland Azerbaijan

Group E Winner Netherlands - Spain (UNL QF1) Türkiye Georgia Bulgaria

Group F Winner Denmark - Portugal (UNL QF3) Hungary Republic of Ireland Armenia

Group G Defeated team Netherlands - Spain (UNL QF1) Poland Finland Lithuania Malta

Group H Austria Romania Bosnia and Herzegovina Cyprus San Marino

Group I Defeated team Italy - Germany (UNL QF4) Norway Israel Estonia Moldova

Group J Belgium Wales North Macedonia Kazakhstan Liechtenstein

Group K England Serbia Albania Latvia Andorra

Group L Defeated team Croatia - France (UNL QF2) Czechia Montenegro Faroe Islands Gibraltar

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.