World Cup 2026 European Qualifying: When, How And Who Needs What?

Group A

Could nan unthinkable happen? Germany person ne'er grounded to suffice for nan World Cup but nan four-time champions can’t spend slip-ups if they are to seal apical spot aft losing against Slovakia successful their opening game. Julian Nagelsmann’s broadside lead Slovakia connected extremity quality and request to hit Luxembourg connected Friday and spot whether Northern Ireland – guaranteed a playoff aft finishing apical of their Nations League group – tin do them immoderate favours successful Slovakia connected nan aforesaid night. Germany decorativeness against Slovakia successful Leipzig connected Monday successful what could beryllium a winner-takes-all showdown. Teams finishing 2nd spell into nan playoffs.

Group B

Switzerland will suffice connected Saturday if they execute a amended consequence astatine location to Sweden than Kosovo secure in Slovenia. Switzerland’s vastly superior extremity quality intends they will beryllium virtually assured of a World Cup spot if they lucifer Kosovo’s result. But if Kosovo adjacent nan three-point spread to nan leaders, things will beryllium excitingly poised for their last crippled astatine location to Switzerland successful Pristina connected Tuesday. Sweden, playing nether Graham Potter for nan first time, should make nan playoffs by kindness of having won their Nations League group.

Breel Embolo has scored 3 goals successful qualifying for Switzerland. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Group C

With Greece and Belarus eliminated, it is simply a consecutive conflict betwixt Denmark and Scotland for automatic qualification. Steve Clarke’s broadside caput into nan last 2 matches trailing connected extremity quality truthful will successful each likelihood request astatine slightest a constituent successful Athens connected Saturday to person a chance of taking apical spot erstwhile they meet Denmark astatine Hampden Park connected 18 November.

Group D

France person a playoff successful nan container courtesy of nan Nations League and will suffice successful apical spot if they hit Ukraine successful Paris connected Thursday. Even a tie would time off France group adjacent going into their last crippled successful Azerbaijan given they lead Ukraine by 3 points and person a extremity quality superior by five. An Iceland triumph successful Baku connected Thursday coupled pinch a France triumph complete Ukraine would move Iceland 2nd connected extremity quality earlier they look Ukraine connected Sunday successful Warsaw. Azerbaijan’s very slim hopes of sneaking into a playoff require victories complete Iceland and France and sufficiently improving their -9 extremity difference.

Group E

Spain, having won their first 4 matches, are connected nan verge of qualification. If they get a amended consequence successful Georgia connected Saturday than Turkey unafraid astatine location to Bulgaria they will guarantee apical spot, and matching Turkey’s consequence would each but seal nan woody fixed their extremity quality is amended than Turkey’s by 12. Turkey request a constituent – aliases a gaffe by Georgia – to guarantee a playoff. They decorativeness connected Tuesday successful Seville against Spain, who hit them 6-0 successful September.

Mikel Merino scored 2 goals for Spain successful past month’s 4-0 triumph astatine location to Bulgaria. Photograph: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

Group F

An injury-time equaliser by Hungary’s Dominik Szoboszlai successful Lisbon past period has made Portugal hold a small longer to book their place. Two points from games successful nan Republic of Ireland connected Thursday and astatine location to Armenia connected Sunday would guarantee apical spot. Hungary, who are second, 1 constituent up of Ireland, would unafraid a playoff connected Thursday if they triumph successful Armenia and Ireland suffer to Portugal. Otherwise nan playoff spot whitethorn travel down to Hungary’s crippled against Ireland successful Budapest connected Sunday.

Group G

Poland’s hopes of overhauling the Netherlands, who lead them by 3 points pinch a vastly superior extremity different, rest connected beating Ronald Koeman’s broadside successful Warsaw connected Friday and hoping eliminated Lithuania tin do them a favour successful Amsterdam connected Monday. The Netherlands drew astatine location to Poland successful September but person different won astir games comfortably. Finland, who look Malta successful their past lucifer connected Friday, person an extracurricular chance of reaching nan playoffs if Poland suffer to nan Netherlands and Malta.

Group H

Three teams are successful contention to decorativeness top, though Austria cognize a triumph complete Cyprus connected Saturday mixed pinch second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina losing aliases drafting astatine location to third-placed Romania would corroborate qualification. Bosnia, 2 points down Austria pinch a extremity quality inferior by eight, recreation to Vienna connected Tuesday. Romania, who request 2 wins to person a chance of apical spot, big San Marino that day. There is nan intriguing anticipation that San Marino, Fifa’s lowest-ranked nation, could book a playoff spot aft winning their Nations League group, if Romania decorativeness 2nd – a business that could trust connected really galore goals they people successful their last match.

Group I

Norway lead Italy by 3 points and nary 1 other tin decorativeness successful nan apical two. A triumph for Norway astatine location to Estonia connected Thursday would successful effect unafraid qualification earlier they recreation to San Siro connected Sunday because nan astonishing 29 goals plundered by Erling Haaland and co from six matches have fixed nan team a frankly ridiculous extremity quality of +26, 16 up of Italy. Gennaro Gattuso’s broadside request maximum points from their games, which commencement successful Moldova connected Thursday, and a Norway gaffe against Estonia to debar nan playoff for which they look destined arsenic they effort to suffice for a first World Cup since 2014.

Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy whitethorn person to advancement from a playoff to extremity their hold for a return to nan World Cup. Photograph: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

Group J

Belgium request 1 triumph from 2 games to beryllium judge of automatic qualification and look a perchance tricky fixture successful Kazakhstan connected Saturday. If they do not negociate it there, Rudi Garcia’s broadside should wrap up apical spot against Liechtenstein connected Tuesday. Wales and North Macedonia person mathematical dream of overhauling Belgium but are realistically playing for 2nd place. Wales are assured of a playoff acknowledgment to nan Nations League but must decorativeness arsenic runners-up to debar being among nan bottommost seeds and having an distant semi-final. Winning successful Liechtenstein connected Saturday and astatine location to North Macedonia connected Tuesday would guarantee 2nd for Wales. If Wales hit Liechtenstein by six aliases much goals a tie pinch North Macedonia, whose only remaining crippled is successful Cardiff, would suffice.

Group K

England past period became nan first European federation to corroborate qualification for nan Word Cup and Thomas Tuchel’s broadside will person a large opportunity successful nan conflict for 2nd place. Serbia way Albania by a constituent and almost surely request a affirmative consequence astatine Wembley connected Thursday because conclusion coupled pinch an Albania triumph successful Andorra would extremity their playoff hopes. Albania, who person ne'er qualified for nan World Cup but person reached nan Euros finals twice, successful 2016 and 2024, look England successful Tirana successful their last lucifer arsenic Serbia entertain Latvia.

Group L

Croatia, semi-finalists astatine nan past 2 World Cups, request a constituent astatine location to nan Faroe Islands connected Friday aliases successful Montenegro connected Monday to guarantee their spot successful nan finals again. They tin beryllium overhauled only by nan Czech Republic, who are 3 points down pinch 1 crippled remaining, astatine location to Gibraltar connected Monday, but a extremity quality inferior by 15. The Faroe Islands, astonishment winners against nan Czech Republic past month, will decorativeness 2nd successful nan improbable arena that they execute a amended consequence against Croatia than nan Czech Republic unafraid against Gibraltar.

Martin Erlic and Luka Modric (right) clasp aft nan Croatia defender’s extremity against Gibraltar successful October. Photograph: Pixsell/MB Media/Getty Images

Playoffs

At nan tie connected 20 November nan 12 group runners-up will beryllium joined by nan 4 best-ranked Nations League conception winners who did not decorativeness successful nan apical two. As things stand, that will beryllium Wales, Romania, Sweden and Northern Ireland, though Moldova and San Marino could make it. The 16 teams will beryllium seeded and drawn into 4 playoff paths, pinch 4 teams successful each. Playoff matches will beryllium played successful March successful single-leg semi-finals followed by single-leg finals to determine Europe’s last 4 World Cup qualifiers.