The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway across Europe and Africa, with teams fighting for spots at the 48-team finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The European qualifiers matches were scheduled to run from March to November 2025, with the play-offs for the remaining spots scheduled for March 2026.
Groups involving teams in UEFA Nations League quarterfinals will be finalized after those ties in March.
A total of 16 UEFA nations will compete at the World Cup finals. The 12 group winners qualify directly, while the four remaining places are decided via play-offs.
These play-offs involve the 12 group runners-up, plus the four best-ranked group winners from the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League who did not finish first or second in their qualifying group.
The 16 play-off teams will be drawn into four paths, each containing four teams. Single-leg semi-finals and finals will be played in the same international window in March 2026.
Also Read: McCarthy Explains Why Key Harambee Stars Players Have Been Left Out of World Cup Qualifiers Squad
2026 Europe World Cup Qualifiers Fixtures
| Matchday | Date | Group | Fixture | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 Sep 2025 | J | Kazakhstan vs Wales | 1-0 |
| E | Georgia vs Türkiye | 2-3 | ||
| A | Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland | 1-3 | ||
| A | Slovakia vs Germany | 2-0 | ||
| E | Bulgaria vs Spain | 0-3 | ||
| G | Lithuania vs Malta | 1-1 | ||
| G | Netherlands vs Poland | 1-1 | ||
| J | Liechtenstein vs Belgium | 0-6 | ||
| 5 Sep 2025 | B | Slovenia vs Sweden | ||
| B | Switzerland vs Kosovo | |||
| C | Greece vs Belarus | |||
| C | Denmark vs Scotland | |||
| D | Iceland vs Azerbaijan | |||
| D | Ukraine vs France | |||
| I | Moldova vs Israel | |||
| I | Italy vs Estonia | |||
| L | Faroe Islands vs Croatia | |||
| L | Montenegro vs Czechia | |||
| 6 Sep 2025 | K | Latvia vs Serbia | ||
| F | Armenia vs Portugal | |||
| K | England vs Andorra | |||
| F | Republic of Ireland vs Hungary | |||
| H | Austria vs Cyprus | |||
| H | San Marino vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||
| 6 | 7 Sep 2025 | E | Georgia vs Bulgaria | |
| J | North Macedonia vs Liechtenstein | |||
| A | Luxembourg vs Slovakia | |||
| A | Germany vs Northern Ireland | |||
| E | Türkiye vs Spain | |||
| G | Lithuania vs Netherlands | |||
| G | Poland vs Finland | |||
| J | Belgium vs Kazakhstan | |||
| 8 Sep 2025 | B | Kosovo vs Sweden | ||
| B | Switzerland vs Slovenia | |||
| C | Belarus vs Scotland | |||
| C | Greece vs Denmark | |||
| I | Israel vs Italy | |||
| L | Gibraltar vs Faroe Islands | |||
| L | Croatia vs Montenegro | |||
| 9 Sep 2025 | D | Azerbaijan vs Ukraine | ||
| F | Armenia vs Republic of Ireland | |||
| D | France vs Iceland | |||
| F | Hungary vs Portugal | |||
| H | Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Austria | |||
| H | Cyprus vs Romania | |||
| I | Norway vs Moldova | |||
| K | Albania vs Latvia | |||
| K | Serbia vs England | |||
| 7 | 9 Oct 2025 | C | Belarus vs Denmark | |
| C | Scotland vs Greece | |||
| G | Finland vs Lithuania | |||
| G | Malta vs Netherlands | |||
| H | Austria vs San Marino | |||
| H | Cyprus vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||
| L | Czechia vs Croatia | |||
| L | Faroe Islands vs Montenegro | |||
| 10 Oct 2025 | J | Kazakhstan vs Liechtenstein | ||
| A | Northern Ireland vs Slovakia | |||
| A | Germany vs Luxembourg | |||
| B | Kosovo vs Slovenia | |||
| B | Sweden vs Switzerland | |||
| D | Iceland vs Ukraine | |||
| D | France vs Azerbaijan | |||
| J | Belgium vs North Macedonia | |||
| 11 Oct 2025 | K | Latvia vs Andorra | ||
| F | Hungary vs Armenia | |||
| I | Norway vs Israel | |||
| E | Bulgaria vs Türkiye | |||
| E | Spain vs Georgia | |||
| F | Portugal vs Republic of Ireland | |||
| I | Estonia vs Italy | |||
| K | Serbia vs Albania | |||
| 8 | 12 Oct 2025 | H | San Marino vs Cyprus | |
| C | Scotland vs Belarus | |||
| L | Faroe Islands vs Czechia | |||
| C | Denmark vs Greece | |||
| G | Lithuania vs Poland | |||
| G | Netherlands vs Finland | |||
| H | Romania vs Austria | |||
| L | Croatia vs Gibraltar | |||
| 13 Oct 2025 | A | Northern Ireland vs Germany | ||
| A | Slovakia vs Luxembourg | |||
| B | Slovenia vs Switzerland | |||
| B | Sweden vs Kosovo | |||
| D | Iceland vs France | |||
| D | Ukraine vs Azerbaijan | |||
| J | North Macedonia vs Kazakhstan | |||
| J | Wales vs Belgium | |||
| 14 Oct 2025 | E | Türkiye vs Georgia | ||
| E | Spain vs Bulgaria | |||
| F | Republic of Ireland vs Armenia | |||
| F | Portugal vs Hungary | |||
| I | Estonia vs Moldova | |||
| I | Italy vs Israel | |||
| K | Andorra vs Serbia | |||
| K | Latvia vs England | |||
| 9 | 13 Nov 2025 | D | Azerbaijan vs Iceland | |
| F | Armenia vs Hungary | |||
| I | Norway vs Estonia | |||
| D | France vs Ukraine | |||
| F | Republic of Ireland | |||
| I | Moldova vs Italy | |||
| K | Andorra vs Albania | |||
| K | England vs Serbia | |||
| 14 Nov 2025 | G | Finland vs Malta | ||
| A | Luxembourg vs Germany | |||
| A | Slovakia vs Northern Ireland | |||
| G | Poland vs Netherlands | |||
| L | Gibraltar vs Montenegro | |||
| L | Croatia vs Faroe Islands | |||
| 15 Nov 2025 | J | Kazakhstan vs Belgium | ||
| E | Georgia vs Spain | |||
| E | Türkiye vs Bulgaria | |||
| H | Cyprus vs Austria | |||
| J | Liechtenstein vs Wales | |||
| B | Slovenia vs Kosovo | |||
| B | Switzerland vs Sweden | |||
| C | Greece vs Scotland | |||
| C | Denmark vs Belarus | |||
| H | Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Romania | |||
| 10 | 16 Nov 2025 | F | Hungary vs Republic of Ireland | |
| F | Portugal vs Armenia | |||
| D | Azerbaijan vs France | |||
| D | Ukraine vs Iceland | |||
| K | Albania vs England | |||
| K | Serbia vs Latvia | |||
| I | Israel vs Moldova | |||
| I | Italy vs Norway | |||
| 17 Nov 2025 | A | Northern Ireland vs Luxembourg | ||
| A | Germany vs Slovakia | |||
| G | Malta vs Poland | |||
| G | Netherlands vs Lithuania | |||
| L | Czechia vs Gibraltar | |||
| L | Montenegro vs Croatia | |||
| 18 Nov 2025 | B | Kosovo vs Switzerland | ||
| B | Sweden vs Slovenia | |||
| C | Belarus vs Greece | |||
| C | Scotland vs Denmark | |||
| E | Bulgaria vs Georgia | |||
| E | Spain vs Türkiye | |||
| H | Austria vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||
| H | Romania vs San Marino | |||
| J | Belgium vs Liechtenstein | |||
| J | Wales vs North Macedonia |
Group Standings
Group A
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Group B
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sweden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belarus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denmark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greece | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iceland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group E
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Turkey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Group F
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hungary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republic of Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group G
| Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Poland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Lithuania | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Malta | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Group H
| Team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Austria | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Romania | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Cyprus | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| San Marino | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group I
| Team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Israel | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Italy | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Estonia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Moldova | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Group J
| Team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Wales | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Belgium | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Kazakhstan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Liechtenstein | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group K
| Team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Albania | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Serbia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Latvia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Andorra | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group L
| Team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Croatia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Montenegro | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Faroe Islands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Gibraltar | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Also Read: Profile of Former Gor Mahia Coach Set to Lead Gambia Against Harambee Stars
Key Dates
- Group stage: 21 March – 18 November 2025
- Play-offs: 26 & 31 March 2026
- Final tournament: 11 June – 19 July 2026
World Cup 2026 Host Cities
- United States (11): Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle
- Mexico (3): Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
- Canada (2): Toronto, Vancouver
The final will be held in New York on 19 July 2026.
Tickets can be found at the FIFA website – Tickets & Hospitality.
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