Zurich, Dec 13: The road to the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been mapped out for Europe’s 54 hopefuls at the UEFA preliminary draw in Zurich. A record-high number of 16 places are up for grabs for UEFA representatives at the historic 48-team showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Eight of the 12 groups will only have a confirmed Pot 1 team after March’s UEFA Nations League quarter-finals as the winners and losers of the matchups will be placed in different groups. Enthralling encounters are already guaranteed, with England-Serbia, Switzerland-Sweden and Belgium-Wales just a few of the mouth-watering matches in store. Cristiano Ronaldo Reacts After Portugal Named Co-Host of FIFA World Cup 2030, Says ‘A Dream Come True’ (See Post).

The UEFA qualifying group stage will begin in March 2025 and conclude in November 2025. It will follow a familiar format, with 12 groups of four or five teams, and the group winners securing a place at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The four remaining places will then be decided in March 2026 in a 16-team UEFA play-off involving the 12 group-stage runners-up and the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League 2024-25 group winners that have neither qualified directly for the FIFA World Cup as group winners nor entered the play-offs already as group runners-up. Saudi Arabia to Host FIFA World Cup 2034 Despite Controversy.

FIFA World Cup 2026: UEFA Preliminary Draw Results

Group A: Winner of Italy vs Germany (QF4), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg

Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo

Group C: Loser of Denmark vs Portugal (QF3), Greece, Scotland, Belarus

Group D: Winner of Croatia vs France (QF2), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan

Group E: Winner of Netherlands vs Spain (QF1), Turkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria

Group F: Winner of Denmark vs Portugal (QF3), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia

Group G: Loser of Netherlands vs Spain ( QF1), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta

Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino

Group I: Loser of Italy vs Germany (QF4), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova

Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein

Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra

Group L: Loser of Croatia vs France (QF2), Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2024 09:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).