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UEFA preliminary draw: England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and others learn pathway to FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification

UEFA's 54 teams were drawn into 12 groups Friday with the aim of reaching the North America-hosted FIFA World Cup 2026. Several teams are still awaiting to be placed as a Pot 1 team in the respective group, with seeding to be determined by March’s UEFA Nations League (UNL) quarterfinals - including Italy, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, France, Croatia, Netherlands and Spain. A record 16 teams from UEFA (up from 13) are able to qualify due to FIFA's expanded format for the 2026 tournament.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The groups consist of four or five teams each, with winners qualifying directly for the World Cup. The remaining four spots will be decided in March 2026 via a 16-team UEFA playoff. The playoff field will include the 12 group-stage runners-up and four top-ranked UNL group winners not qualified via group stage or playoff runner-up slots. FIFA World Cup 26™: UEFA Preliminary Draw results Group AWinner Italy - Germany (UNL QF4)SlovakiaNorthern IrelandLuxembourg Group BSwitzerlandSwedenSloveniaKosovoGroup CDefeated team Denmark - Portugal (UNL QF3)GreeceScotlandBelarusGroup DWinner Croatia - France (UNL QF2)UkraineIcelandAzerbaijanGroup EWinner Netherlands - Spain (UNL QF1)TürkiyeGeorgiaBulgariaGroup FWinner Denmark - Portugal (UNL QF3)HungaryRepublic of IrelandArmeniaGroup GDefeated team Netherlands - Spain (UNL QF1)PolandFinlandLithuaniaMaltaGroup HAustriaRomaniaBosnia and HerzegovinaCyprusSan MarinoGroup IDefeated team Italy - Germany (UNL QF4)NorwayIsraelEstoniaMoldovaGroup JBelgiumWalesNorth MacedoniaKazakhstanLiechtensteinGroup KEnglandSerbiaAlbaniaLatviaAndorraGroup LDefeated team Croatia - France (UNL QF2)CzechiaMontenegroFaroe IslandsGibraltar

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The March playoff match between Croatia and France, which will determine the fates of Group D and L, is a rematch of the 2018 World Cup Final -- which France won 4-2.

DID YOU KNOW?

UEFA will kick off its Nations League quarterfinals in March 2025. Here are the match ups: Italy vs. Germany (Winner goes to Group A; Loser goes to Group I)Denmark vs. Portugal (Winner goes to Group F; Loser goes to Group C)Croatia vs. France (Winner goes to Group D; Loser goes to Group L)Netherlands vs. Spain (Winner goes to Group E; Loser goes to Group G)

WHAT NEXT FOR UEFA?

UEFA Preliminary Draw for FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification as England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and others learn pathway to North American tournament | Goal.com South Africa

Europe&apos;s national teams learned their pathways towards qualifying for UEFA&apos;s 16 spots for the 2026 World Cup