2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers

The 2026 FIFA World World Cup Europe Qualifiers are the preliminary competition in which national teams under the umbrella of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) compete for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in North America (USA, Canada and Mexico).

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General Information

A total of 16 teams from Europe will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. In this regard, UEFA member nations are playing group stage matches between 2025 and November 2025. Following the group stage, playoff matches will be held in March 2026 to determine the final four European teams to qualify for the tournament.

Qualifying Format

The qualifiers are played across 12 groups labeled A through L. Each group consists of either four or five teams. The winner of each group will directly qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

The group runners-up do not qualify directly. Instead, these teams will join the four group winners from the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League to form a total of 16 teams in the playoff rounds. The playoffs will be conducted in four paths, each consisting of four teams, with single-leg semifinals and finals. The winner of each path will secure one of the four remaining spots in the finals.

Group Draw

The group structure for the 2026 qualifiers is as follows:

• Group A: Germany, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
• Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
• Group C: Denmark, Scotland, Greece, Belarus
• Group D: France, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
• Group E: Spain, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Georgia
• Group F: Portugal, Hungary, Ireland, Armenia
• Group G: Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
• Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
• Group I: Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
• Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
• Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
• Group L: Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar

Türkiye’s Position

The Türkiye national football team is competing in Group E. The other teams in the group are Spain, Bulgaria and Georgia. Türkiye will play its first match away against Georgia on 4 September 2025. Türkiye earned promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League by winning its playoff matches against Hungary in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League.

Match Schedule and Matchdays

The qualifying matches began on 21 March 2025. The first two matchdays took place in March, with subsequent matchdays continuing in June, September, October and November. The group stage will conclude on 18 November 2025, followed by the playoff matches on 26 and 31 March 2026.

Key Matches and Results

Matchday 1 Results (22 March 2025):

Matchday 2 Matches (24–25 March 2025):

In upcoming matchdays, key fixtures include Türkiye vs Spain (7 September 2025), Belgium vs North Macedonia, and England vs Serbia like, among others place.

Calendar

• Group Stage: 21 March – 18 November 2025
• Playoff Stage: 26 and 31 March 2026
• Final Tournament: 11 June – 19 July 2026 (United States, Canada and Mexico)