UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26: procedures and seedings confirmed

Following the publication of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/qualifiersearlier today, the seedings and procedures for the UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 have been confirmed.

UEFA Nations League quarter-finalists Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain and will be joined in Pot 1 by best-ranked UEFA nations England, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria, who are in the top pot for the first time since the qualifiers for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

The remaining teams are allocated to pots 2 to 5 according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, with Slovakia’s win over Estonia and Czechia’s win over Georgia ensuring them both a spot in pot 2.

As per the draw procedures, the draw will begin with Pot 1 and continue with Pot 2 through to Pot 5. Each pot will be completely emptied before moving on to the next pot. In general, and for each pot, the teams drawn will be placed in ascending order from Group A to Group L. A full explanation on the draw and the constraints are detailed in the Draw Procedures for the UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26. https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/445599b755be1b8a/original/Draw-Procedures-for-the-UEFA-Preliminary-Draw-for-the-FIFA-World-Cup-26.pdf

UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 seedings (ordered by FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking)
Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria
Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Türkiye, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czechia and Norway
Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Israel
Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia and Lithuania
Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein and San Marino

Live coverage on FIFA.com, FIFA+ and official broadcastersThe FIFA member associations affiliated with UEFA will discover their path to the game-changing tournament at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, at 12:00 CET on Friday, 13 December 2024. Fans around the world will be able to follow the draw live on FIFA.com, FIFA+ and through FIFA’s broadcast partners.

The expansion of FIFA’s flagship event ahead of the 2026 instalment has seen the number of places for UEFA national teams increase from 13 to 16. It will be the most inclusive edition of the tournament yet, featuring a total of 48 teams for the first time.

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.

For more information on the FIFA World Cup 26 qualifiers, visit FIFA.com: https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/qualifiers

FIFA/AIPS Media