The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers, set to happen throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, will likely be held on Friday.
Türkiye, positioned in Pot 2, will be taught their group throughout the draw at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
A complete of 54 nations will take part within the draw, which is able to decide 12 teams – six with 5 groups and 6 with 4 groups.
Türkiye will likely be positioned in a four-team group on account of their play-off match with Hungary in March for promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League.
The first matches within the five-team teams will start in March, whereas the four-team teams will begin their campaigns in September.
Each nation will play each different workforce of their group twice, dwelling and away, with the European qualifiers concluding in November 2025.
Pot allocation
According to FIFA, the European qualifying pots are as follows:
Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria.
Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Türkiye, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.
Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel.
Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.
Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.
Certain groups is not going to be drawn in the identical teams on account of UEFA laws:
- Gibraltar / Spain
- Kosovo / Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Kosovo / Serbia
- Ukraine / Belarus
Additionally, Iceland and the Faroe Islands is not going to be positioned in the identical group on account of excessive winter situations threat.
16 European groups
A complete of 16 European groups will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the highest workforce from every of the 12 teams incomes computerized qualification. The remaining 4 spots will likely be decided via play-offs, involving the 12 group runners-up and 4 groups from the UEFA Nations League. These play-offs will happen in March 2026.
The 2026 World Cup, that includes 48 groups in 12 teams, will kick off on June 11, 2026, at Mexico City’s iconic 83,000-seat Azteca Stadium.
The ultimate will likely be held on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, U.S., with a capability of 82,500 spectators.
A complete of 104 matches will likely be performed throughout the match.
Source: www.dailysabah.com