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For the first time in history, the 2026 World Cup will take place with 48 teams. 16 European national teams will participate in the World Cup that will be held in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
The European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup are scheduled to start in March 2025 and end together with the play-off stage in March 2026.
The draw will take place on December 13, 2024, in Zurich, Switzerland, and 12 groups will be divided into 4 or 5 teams. The matches will be played on a round-trip basis.
The groups of 5 teams will start the qualifiers in March 2025, while the groups of 4 teams will start in September 2025. All qualifying matches will end in November 2025.
The top 12 places in the groups will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the remaining 4 places will be determined by the play-off stage.
How will the play-off stage work for the 2026 World Cup?
The 12 runners-up from the qualifying groups participate in the play-offs, together with 4 teams from the 2024-2025 Nations League that, based on group performances, will also have an overall classification of all leagues (A, B, C, D).
16 teams in the play-off stage will be divided into 4 groups of 4 teams each. In each group, two semi-final matches with only one meeting will be played and then the 4 finals of the play-off stage will be determined. The 4 winning teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The play-off stage matches will be played between March 26-31, 2026.
Lottery for division of groups:
December 13, 2024
Qualifying matches
March – November 2025
Play-off stage matches
March 26-31, 2026
World Cup 2026:
June 11 – July 19, 2026
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