Following today’s release of the FIFA Rankings, the seedings and procedures for the UEFA preliminary draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been confirmed. The teams that reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League – Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, ItalyNetherlands, Portugal and Spain – will be joined in Pot 1 by the best-ranked UEFA nations, namely England, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.
The remaining teams are allocated to Pots 2 to 5 based on FIFA Ranking, with Slovakia’s victory over Estonia and the Czech Republic’s win over Georgia securing both a place in Pot 2. According to the extraction, the extraction will begin with POT 1 and continue with POT 2 up to POT 5. Each urn will be completely emptied before moving on to the next urn. In general, and for each pot, the teams drawn will be placed in ascending order from Group A to Group L. A full explanation of the draw and constraints is detailed in this document.
The teams will be drawn on 13 December 2024 in Zurich in twelve groups of four and five teamswhere each national team will face the other teams in their group at home and away. Teams drawn in groups of five will begin qualifying in March, while teams drawn in groups of four will begin qualifying in September. All groups conclude in November 2025.
First Band – France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, ItalyGermany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria.
Second tier – Ukraine, Sweden, Türkiye, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Norway.
Third tier – Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel.
Fourth band – Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia and Lithuania.
Fifth band – Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein and San Marino.