Oman today_ The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams and will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Europe has been allocated 16 spots in this tournament, and due to the increased number of teams, the structure of the European qualifiers has been revised.
The European qualifiers will be contested in 12 groups: six groups consisting of four teams each, and six groups with five teams each. The winners of each group will qualify directly for the World Cup. The runners-up from each group, along with four of the highest-ranked teams from the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League that did not qualify directly, will advance to the playoffs.
In the playoffs, 16 teams will compete in four paths, with each path following a four-team knockout format. The winner of each path will secure a spot in the World Cup.
The draw for the European qualifiers took place in December 2024, accompanied by a new UEFA regulation. According to this rule, the four teams that reach the semifinals of the Nations League will be placed in the four-team groups, while the four teams eliminated in the quarterfinals will be assigned to the five-team groups.
Since the outcomes of some teams were not determined at the time of the draw, adjustments were made based on subsequent results:
Germany and Italy: The winner placed in Group A and the loser in Group I.
Portugal and Denmark: The winner placed in Group F and the loser in Group C (both four-team groups).
Spain and the Netherlands: The winner placed in Group E and the loser in Group G.
France and Croatia: The winner placed in Group D and the loser in Group L.
The European Qualifiers Grouping for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
