England will play Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup as Thomas Tuchel’s mission starts to take shape.
Tuchel officially starts his role as England’s new head coach on 1 January, with his 18-month deal geared around glory at the 2026 World Cup. “We are desperate to win a title, we have all the ingredients,” he said at his unveiling in October.
England will soon discover their first opponents of the Tuchel era, once Uefa finalise the fixture dates for the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers, with the Three Lions starting their campaign in March.
Drawn into Group K as a Pot 1 nation, England will face Serbia – who they beat 1-0 at Euro 2024 – as well as Albania, Latvia and Andorra home and away.
Wales were in Pot 2 and drawn in Group J along with Belgium, who they beat at Euro 2016 and went on to face in the previous World Cup qualifiers and 2022 Nations League.
Scotland will face either Portugal or Denmark in Group C, as well as Greece, while Northern Ireland could take on Germany or Italy in Group A. The Republic of Ireland were drawn into Group F, and like Scotland they could face Portugal or Denmark.
The final make-up of those groups will be determined by the outcome of the Nations League quarter-finals (explained below).
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers – groups in full
Scroll below for an explanation of why the groups are not finalised…
Group A: Winner of Germany vs Italy, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.
Group C: Loser of Portugal vs Denmark, Greece, Scotland, Belarus.
Group D: Winner of France vs Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.
Group E: Winner of Spain vs Netherlands, Turkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria.
Group F: Winner of Portugal vs Denmark, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia.
Group G: Loser of Spain vs Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.
Group I: Loser of Germany vs Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.
Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.
Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.
Group L: Loser of France vs Croatia, Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.
Why the World Cup 2026 European qualifying groups are not complete
Blame the Nations League, with the 2024-25 edition of that competition set to feature play-offs in March, which involve Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as the following quarter-finals:
- Netherlands vs Spain
- Croatia vs France
- Denmark vs Portugal
- Italy vs Germany
After those matches, the Nations League finals – the semi-finals and final – will then take place in June, meaning the four winners of the March quarter-finals cannot start their World Cup qualifying campaigns until September, and must therefore be in a four-team group.
All this means only four of the 12 European qualifying groups for the 2026 World Cup were finalised on 13 December.
How does World Cup 2026 European qualifying work?
A total of 16 European teams will qualify for the 48-team 2026 World Cup.
All 12 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the 12 runners-up will enter the play-offs along with four of the best-ranked group winners from the 2024-25 Nations League that did not place first or second in their World Cup qualifying group.
The 16 teams will be drawn into four play-off paths, which will include single-leg semi-finals and finals.
Key dates for World Cup 2026 European qualifiers
Group stage matches
- 21-25 March, 2025
- 6-10 June
- 4-9 September
- 9-14 October
- 13-18 November
Play-off match dates
- 26 and 31 March, 2026
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup takes place from 11 June to 19 July in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The opening match will take place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, while the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the final.
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