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2026 FIFA World Cup (qualifying tournament, UEFA)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament in Europe will determine the participants of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States . Europe will receive 16 places in the final stage of the tournament.

2026 FIFA World Cup (qualification, UEFA) 21 March 2026 — 31 March 2026
Tournament details
Teams54

Participants

All 55 UEFA members are eligible to take part in the qualifying tournament. However, the Russian national team was suspended from participation in UEFA and FIFA tournaments in February 2022 for political reasons for an indefinite period [1] .

Format

On 25 January 2023, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the new format of the qualifying tournament at a meeting in Nyon. Due to the increase in the number of places in the final stage of the World Cup from Europe from 13 to 16[2] the format of the qualifying tournament has changed compared to the previous one . There will now be 12 groups in the group stage of the qualifying tournament, each of which will contain four or five teams. The winner of each group qualifies directly for the World Cup finals, while the runners-up in their groups qualify for a play-off, which will also include the four highest-ranked teams in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League that finished lower than second in the World Cup qualifying tournament.[3] On 28 June 2023, the UEFA Executive Committee proposed this format for consideration by FIFA[4].FIFA approved this format in August 2023.[5][6]

  • First round (group stage) : 12 groups of 4 or 5 teams each will play each other in two matches (home and away). The group winners qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals. The draw for the UEFA qualifying group stage will take place in December 2024.
  • Second round (knockout stage) : 16 teams (12 group runners-up and four UEFA Nations League teams based on rankings) will be drawn into four 'paths' and play two single-match knockout rounds (semi-finals and final). The winners of the four "paths" qualify for the final stage of the 2026 World Cup.

Schedule

Below is the schedule for the UEFA 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament.[7] In groups with five participants, the first matches will be played in March 2025 (or June 2025 if the group participants play in the quarter-finals or play-offs of the UEFA Nations League ). In groups with four participants, the first matches will be held in September 2025.[3][8]

Round Game day Dates
Groups of 5 teams Groups of 4 teams
First round



(group stage) 		Game day 1 — March 21-22, 2025
Game day 2 24-25 March 2025
Game day 3 June 6-7, 2025
Game day 4 June 9-10, 2025
Game day 5 Game day 1 4-6 September 2025
Game day 6 Game day 2 September 7-9, 2025
Game day 7 Game day 3 9-11 October 2025
Game day 8 Game day 4 12-14 October 2025
Game day 9 Game day 5 November 13-15, 2025
Game day 10 Game day 6 November 16-18, 2025
Second round



(playoff) 		Semi-finals March 26, 2026
Finals March 31, 2026

Draw

The draw for the qualifying tournament took place in Zurich on 13 December 2024.[9]

First round

Team classification criteria

In case of equality of points between two or more teams, the following classification criteria are applied:[10]

  1. the highest goal difference in all group matches;
  2. highest number of goals scored in all group matches;
  3. the greatest number of points scored in head-to-head matches between teams;
  4. the greatest difference between goals scored and conceded in head-to-head matches between teams;
  5. the greatest number of goals scored in head-to-head meetings between teams;
  6. the greatest number of goals scored in away matches in head-to-head meetings between teams;
  7. the lowest number of fair play disciplinary points (1 point for a yellow card, 3 points for a red card, 3 points for a dismissal for two yellow cards);
  8. draw.

Template:Чемпионат мира по футболу 2026 (отборочный турнир, УЕФА) – турнирные таблицы групп

Примечания

  1. ↑ "FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions". UEFA.com. УЕФА. 2022-02-28. Archived from the original on 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  2. ↑ "FIFA Council prepares Congress, takes key decisions for the future of the FIFA World Cup". FIFA.com. ФИФА. 2017-05-09. Archived from the original on 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions approved". UEFA.com. УЕФА. 2023-01-25. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  4. ↑ "Lisbon to host UEFA Women's Champions League final in 2025". UEFA.com. УЕФА. 2023-06-28. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  5. ↑ "Road to the FIFA World Cup 26 has begun". FIFA.com. ФИФА. 2023-08-28. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  6. ↑ "CONMEBOL kick off journey of "great joy and happiness" to historic FIFA World Cup 2026, says FIFA President". FIFA.com. ФИФА. 2023-09-07. Archived from the original on 2024-07-18. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2024/25". UEFA.com. УЕФА. 2023-12-11. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08.
  8. ↑ "New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions" (PDF). UEFA.com. УЕФА. 2023-01-25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  9. ↑ "European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: All you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Regulations: FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition" (PDF). ФИФА. 2023-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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