The last and biggest — certainly the most-celebrated — confederation to begin qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is UEFA, and Europe’s nations have learned their groups for qualification.
There are some tricky groups, perhaps none more than Group B, where Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, and Kosovo will tangle home-and-away over eight months.
[ MORE: How will 48-team 2026 World Cup work? ]
England’s main rivals for an automatic spot are Serbia, and the sides have a limited history. England beat Serbia 1-0 in the EURO 2024 group stage on an early Jude Bellingham goal. Before that? Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole scored in a 2003 friendly in Leicester, a 2-1 win for the the Three Lions under the late Sven-Göran Eriksson.
Norway’s path to a first World Cup for Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, and friends will have to include a pair of scraps with either Germany or Italy, as well as Israel, Estonia, and Moldova.
Eight groups await their top teams, as UEFA Nations League quarterfinal winners and losers will move into designated spots. Those ties are coming March 20-23, with Netherlands meeting Spain, Croatia tangling with France, Denmark scrapping with Portugal, and the aforementioned Italy vs Germany tie.
European (UEFA) 2026 World Cup qualification format
- First round (March 21-November 18, 2025): Twelve groups of 4-5 nations play round-robin, home-and-away. Group winners qualify for 2026 World Cup. Runners-up reach one of four playoff pahts
- Second round (March 26-31, 2025): Twelve group runners-up plus the four top remaining UEFA Nations League group winners are drawn into four semifinal and final paths. Four path winners qualify for 2026 World Cup.
European (UEFA) World Cup qualification schedule — Dates
First round group stage
Groups A-F: March 21 - November 18, 2025
Groups G-L: September 4 - November 18, 2025
Second round - Semifinals
March 26
Second round - Finals
March 31
Europe (UEFA) 2026 World Cup qualification table — Draw, groups
Group A
- Germany
- Slovakia
- Northern Ireland
- Luxembourg
Group B
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Slovenia
- Kosovo
Group C
- Denmark
- Greece
- Scotland
- Belarus
Group D
- France
- Ukraine
- Iceland
- Azerbaijan
Group E
- Spain
- Turkiye
- Georgia
- Bulgaria
Group F
- Portugal
- Hungary
- Republic of Ireland
- Armenia
Group G
- Poland — 2-0-0 — +3 GD — 6 points
- Finland — 1-1-0 — +1 GD — 4 points
- Lithuania — 0-1-1 — -1 GD — 1 point
- Netherlands
- Malta — 0-0-2 — -3 GD — 0 points
Group H
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 2-0-0 — +2 GD — 6 points
- Romania — 1-0-1 — +3 GD — 3 points
- Cyprus — 1-0-1 — +1 GD — 3 points
- Austria
- San Marino — 0-0-2 — -6 GD — 0 points
Group I
- Norway — 2-0-0 — +7 GD — 6 points
- Estonia — 1-0-1 — 0 GD — 3 points
- Israel — 1-0-1 — -1 GD — 3 points
- Italy
- Moldova — 0-0-2 — -6 GD — 0 points
Group J
- North Macedonia — 1-1-0 — +3 GD — 4 points
- Wales — 1-1-0 — +2 GD — 4 points
- Kazakhstan — 1-0-1 — 0 GD — 3 points
- Belgium
- Liechtenstein — 0-0-2 — -5 GD — 0 points
Group K
- England — 2-0-0 — +5 GD — 6 points
- Albania — 1-0-1 — +1 GD — 3 points
- Latvia — 1-0-1 — -2 GD — 3 points
- Serbia
- Andorra — 0-0-2 — -4 GD — 0 points
Group L
- Czechia — 2-0-0 — +5 GD — 6 points
- Montenegro — 2-0-0 — +3 GD — 6 points
- Croatia
- Faroe Islands — 0-0-2 — -2 GD — 0 points
- Gibraltar — 0-0-2 — -6 GD — 0 points
Europe (UEFA) 2026 World Cup qualification upcoming fixtures
All times ET
Here are the first two matchdays, which will not include team participating in UEFA Nations League quarterfinal and relegation playoff games. That list is long and includes big names like Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia, Netherlands, and Denmark.
Matchday 1
Friday, March 21
Cyprus 2-0 San Marino
England 2-0 Albania
Andorra 0-1 Latvia
Romania 0-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Poland 1-0 Lithuania
Malta 0-1 Finland
Saturday, March 22
Liechtenstein 0-3 North Macedonia
Moldova 0-5 Norway
Montenegro 3-1 Gibraltar
Israel 2-1 Estonia
Czechia 2-1 Faroe Islands
Wales 3-1 Kazakhstan
Matchday 2
Monday, March 24
Lithuania 2-2 Finland
England 3-0 Latvia — Reece James scored stunning free kick
Albania 3-0 Andorra
San Marino 1-5 Romania
Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-1 Cyprus
Poland 2-0 Malta
Tuesday, March 25
Moldova 2-3 Estonia
Liechtenstein 0-2 Kazakhstan
Gibraltar 0-4 Czechia
Montenegro 1-0 Faroe Islands
North Macedonia 1-1 Wales
Israel 2-4 Norway
Matchday 3
June 6
Wales vs Liechtenstein — 2:45pm
North Macedonia vs Belgium — 2:45pm
Gibraltar vs Croatia — 2:45pm
Estonia vs Israel — 2:45pm
Norway vs Italy — 2:45pm
Czechia vs Montenegro — 2:45pm
June 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs San Marino — 9am
Malta vs Lithuania — Noon
Andorra vs England — Noon
Austria vs Romania — 2:45pm
Finland vs Netherlands — 2:45pm
Albania vs Serbia — 2:45pm
Matchday 4
June 9
Kazakhstan vs North Macedonia — 10am
Italy vs Moldova — 2:45pm
Estonia vs Norway — 2:45pm
Croatia vs Czechia — 2:45pm
Belgium vs Wales — 2:45pm
Faroe Islands vs Gibraltar — 2:45pm
June 10
Finland vs Poland — 2:45pm
San Marino vs Austria — 2:45pm
Netherlands vs Malta — 2:45pm
Serbia vs Andorra — 2:45pm
Romania vs Cyprus — 2:45pm
Latvia vs Albania
