UEFA qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is 75% done, at least in terms of spots secured by the nations of Europe.
MORE — How will 48-team 2026 World Cup work?
First round groups were won by England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Scotland, earning automatic berths in the 2026 World Cup.
MORE — UEFA World Cup qualifying scenarios for final day
Now 12 group runners-up and four UEFA Nations League entrants will meet in four pathways, with one team emerging from each pathway and into the World Cup.
As you can see from the explanation on the format below, and the current tables, there was little room for error for the big boys as they aim to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with minimum fuss.
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, 2026
Finals — March 31, 2026
European (UEFA) World Cup second round draw
The draw was held at 7am ET on Thursday, November 20 in Zurich, Switzlerand.
Playoff Path A
Semifinals
Italy vs Northern Ireland
Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Final
Hosted by winner of Wales vs BNH
Playoff Path B
Semifinals
Ukraine vs Sweden
Poland vs Albania
Final
Hosted by winner of Ukraine vs Sweden
Playoff Path C
Semifinals
Turkiye vs Romania
Slovakia vs Kosovo
Final
Hosted by winner of Slovakia vs Kosovo
Playoff Path D
Semifinals
Denmark vs North Macedonia
Czechia vs Republic of Ireland
Final
Hosted by winner of Czechia vs Republic of Ireland
Which UEFA nations have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
- England
- France
- Croatia
- Portugal
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Belgium
- Austria
- Scotland
Which UEFA nations have qualified for the second round?
Groups runners-up
- Slovakia
- Kosovo
- Denmark
- Ukraine
- Turkiye
- Republic of Ireland
- Poland
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Italy
- Wales
- Albania
- Czechia
Nations League entrants
- North Macedonia
- Northern Ireland
- Sweden
- Slovenia
Europe (UEFA) 2026 World Cup qualification table
* - Guaranteed to advance to playoffs, may still qualify automatically
** - Guaranteed to advance to playoffs through Nations League, may still qualify automatically
Group A
- Germany — 5-0-1, +13 GD, 15 points — QUALIFIED
- Slovakia — 4-0-2, -2 GD, 12 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Northern Ireland — 3-0-3, +1 GD, 9 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS THROUGH NATIONS LEAGUE
- Luxembourg — 0-0-6, -12 GD, 0 points — ELIMINATED
Group B
- Switzerland* — 4-2-0, +12 GD, 15 points — QUALIFIED
- Kosovo* — 3-2-1, +1 GD, 11 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Slovenia — 0-4-2, -5 GD, 4 points — ELIMINATED
- Sweden — 0-2-4, -8 GD, 2 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS THROUGH NATIONS LEAGUE
Group C
- Scotland* — 4-1-1, +6 GD, 12 points — QUALIFIED
- Denmark* — 3-3-0, +9 GD, 11 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Greece — 2-1-3, -2 GD, 7 points — ELIMINATED
- Belarus — 0-2-4, -13 GD, 2 points — ELIMINATED
Group D
- France — 5-1-0, +12 GD, 16 points — QUALIFIED
- Ukraine — 3-1-2, -1 GD, 10 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Iceland — 2-1-3, +2 GD, 7 points — ELIMINATED
- Azerbaijan — 0-1-5, -13 GD, 1 point — ELIMINATED
Group E
- Spain* — 5-1-0, +19 GD, 16 points — QUALIFIED
- Turkiye* — 4-1-1, +5 GD, 13 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Georgia — 1-0-5, -8 GD, 3 points — ELIMINATED
- Bulgaria — 1-0-5, -16 GD, 3 points — ELIMINATED
Group F
- Portugal — 4-1-1, +13 GD, 13 points — QUALIFIED
- Republic of Ireland — 3-1-2, 0 GD, 10 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Hungary — 2-2-2, +1 GD, 8 points — ELIMINATED
- Armenia — 1-0-5, -16 GD, 3 points — ELIMINATED
Group G
- Netherlands — 6-2-0 — +23 GD — 20 points — QUALIFIED
- Poland — 5-2-1 — +7GD — 17 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Finland — 3-1-4 — -6 GD — 10 points — ELIMINATED
- Malta — 1-2-6 — -15 GD — 5 points — ELIMINATED
- Lithuania — 0-3-5 — -9 GD — 3 points — ELIMINATED
Group H
- Austria* — 6-1-1 — +18 GD — 19 points — QUALIFIED
- Bosnia and Herzegovina* — 5-2-1 — +10 GD — 17 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Romania — 4-1-3 — +9 GD — 13 points — PLAYOFFS THROUGH NATIONS LEAGUE
- Cyprus — 2-2-4 — 0 GD — 8 points — ELIMINATED
- San Marino — 0-0-8 — -37 GD — 0 points — ELIMINATED
Group I
- Norway — 8-0-0 — +32 GD — 24 points — QUALIFIED
- Italy — 6-0-2 — +9 GD — 18 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Israel — 4-0-4 — -1 GD — 12 points — ELIMINATED
- Estonia — 1-1-6 — -3 GD — 4 points — ELIMINATED
- Moldova — 0-1-7 — -27 GD — 1 points — ELIMINATED
Group J
- Belgium* — 5-3-0 — +22 GD — 18 points — QUALIFIED
- Wales** — 5-1-2 — +10 GD — 16 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- North Macedonia** — 3-4-1 — +3 GD — 13 points — PLAYOFFS THROUGH NATIONS LEAGUE
- Kazakhstan — 2-2-4 — -4 GD — 8 points — ELIMINATED
- Liechtenstein — 0-0-8 — -31 GD — 0 points — ELIMINATED
Group K
- England — 8-0-0 — +22 GD — 24 points — QUALIFIED
- Albania —4-2-2 — +2 GD — 14 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Serbia — 4-1-3 — -1 GD — 13 points — ELIMINATED
- Latvia — 1-2-5 — -10 GD — 5 points — ELIMINATED
- Andorra — 0-1-6 — -13 GD — 1 point — ELIMINATED
Group L
- Croatia — 7-1-0 — +22 GD — 22 points — QUALIFIED
- Czechia — 5-1-2 — +10 GD — 16 points — ADVANCED TO PLAYOFFS
- Faroe Islands — 4-0-4 — +2 GD — 12 points — ELIMINATED
- Montenegro — 3-0-5 — -9 GD — 9 points — ELIMINATED
- Gibraltar — 0-0-8 — -25 GD — 0 points — ELIMINATED
Europe (UEFA) 2026 World Cup qualification first round results
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
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
Friday, June 6
Czechia 2-0 Montenegro
Estonia 1-3 Israel
Gibraltar 0-7 Croatia
North Macedonia 1-1 Belgium
Norway 3-0 Italy — Recap, video highlights
Wales 3-0 Liechtenstein
Saturday, June 7
Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0 San Marino
Andorra 0-1 England
Malta 0-0 Lithuania
Albania 0-0 Serbia
Austria 2-1 Romania
Finland 0-2 Netherlands
Monday, June 9
Kazakhstan 0-1 North Macedonia
Belgium 4-3 Wales
Croatia 5-1 Czechia
Estonia 0-1 Norway
Faroe Islands 2-1 Gibraltar
Italy 2-0 Moldova
Tuesday, June 10
Finland 2-1 Poland
Latvia 1-1 Albania
Netherlands 8-0 Malta
Romania 2-0 Cyprus
San Marino 0-4 Austria
Serbia 3-0 Andorra
Thursday, September 4
Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
Georgia 2-3 Turkiye
Lithuania 1-1 Malta
Bulgaria 0-3 Spain
Liechtenstein 0-6 Belgium
Luxembourg 1-3 Northern Ireland
Netherlands 1-1 Poland
Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Friday, September 5
Denmark 0-0 Scotland
Faroe Islands 0-1 Croatia
Greece 5-1 Belarus
Iceland 5-0 Azerbaijan
Italy 5-0 Estonia
Moldova 0-4 Israel
Montenegro 0-2 Czechia
Slovenia 2-2 Sweden
Switzerland 4-0 Kosovo
Ukraine 0-2 France
Saturday, September 6
Latvia 0-1 Serbia
Armenia 0-5 Portugal
England 2-0 Andorra
Austria 1-0 Cyprus
Ireland 2-2 Hungary
San Marino 0-6 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sunday, September 7
Georgia 3-0 Bulgaria
Lithuania 2-3 Netherlands
North Macedonia 5-0 Liechtenstein
Belgium 6-0 Kazakhstan
Germany 3-1 Northern Ireland
Luxembourg 0-1 Slovakia
Poland 3-1 Finland
Turkiye 0-6 Spain
Monday, September 8
Belarus 0-2 Scotland
Croatia 4-0 Montenegro
Gibraltar 0-1 Faroe Islands
Greece 0-3 Denmark
Israel 4-5 Italy
Kosovo 2-0 Sweden
Switzerland 3-0 Slovenia
Tuesday, September 9
Armenia 2-1 Ireland
Azerbaijan 1-1 Ukraine
Albania 1-0 Latvia
Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-2 Austria
Cyprus 2-2 Romania
France 2-1 Iceland
Hungary 2-3 Portugal
Norway 11-1 Moldova
Serbia 0-5 England
Thursday, October 9
Finland 2-1 Lithuania
Austria 10-0 San Marino
Belarus 0-6 Denmark
Cyprus 2-2 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Czechia 0-0 Croatia
Faroe Islands 4-0 Montenegro
Malta 0-4 Netherlands
Scotland 3-1 Greece
Friday, October 10
Kazakhstan 4-0 Liechtenstein
Belgium 0-0 North Macedonia
France 3-0 Azerbaijan
Germany 4-0 Luxembourg
Iceland 3-5 Ukraine
Kosovo 0-0 Slovenia
Northern Ireland 2-0 Slovakia
Sweden 0-2 Switzerland
Saturday, October 11
Latvia 2-2 Andorra
Hungary 2-0 Armenia
Norway 5-0 Israel
Bulgaria 1-6 Turkiye
Estonia 1-3 Italy
Portugal 1-0 Ireland
Serbia 0-1 Albania
Spain 2-0 Georgia
Sunday, October 12
San Marino 0-4 Cyprus
Faroe Islands 2-1 Czechia
Netherlands 4-0 Finland
Scotland 2-1 Belarus
Croatia 3-0 Gibraltar
Denmark 3-1 Greece
Lithuania 0-2 Poland
Romania 1-0 Austria
Monday, October 13
Iceland 2-2 France
North Macedonia 1-1 Kazakhstan
Northern Ireland 0-1 Germany
Slovakia 2-0 Luxembourg
Slovenia 0-0 Switzerland
Sweden 0-1 Kosovo
Ukraine 2-1 Azerbaijan
Wales 2-4 Belgium
Tuesday, October 14
Estonia 1-1 Moldova
Andorra 1-3 Serbia
Ireland 1-0 Armenia
Italy 3-0 Israel
Latvia 0-5 England
Portugal 2-2 Hungary
Spain 4-0 Bulgaria
Turkiye 4-1 Georgia
Thursday, November 13
Armenia 0-1 Hungary
Azerbaijan 0-2 Iceland
Norway 4-1 Estonia
Andorra 0-1 Albania
England 2-0 Serbia
France 4-0 Ukraine
Ireland 2-0 Portugal
Moldova 0-2 Italy
Friday, November 14
Finland 0-1 Malta
Croatia 3-1 Faroe Islands
Gibraltar 1-2 Montenegro
Luxembourg 0-2 Germany
Poland 1-1 Netherlands
Slovakia 1-0 Northern Ireland
Saturday, November 15
Kazakhstan 1-1 Belgium
Cyprus 0-2 Austria
Georgia 0-4 Spain
Liechtenstein 0-1 Wales
Turkiye 2-0 Bulgaria
Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-1 Romania
Denmark 2-2 Belarus
Greece 3-2 Scotland
Slovenia 0-2 Kosovo
Switzerland 4-1 Sweden
Sunday, November 16
Hungary 2-3 Republic of Ireland — Ireland’s stunning late comeback
Portugal 9-1 Armenia
Albania 0-2 England
Azerbaijan 1-3 France
Serbia 2-1 Latvia
Ukraine 2-0 Iceland
Israel 4-1 Moldova
Italy 1-4 Norway
Monday, November 17
Czechia 6-0 Gibraltar
Germany 6-0 Slovakia
Malta 2-3 Poland
Montenegro 2-3 Croatia
Netherlands 4-0 Lithuania
Northern Ireland 1-0 Luxembourg
Tuesday, November 18
Kosovo 1-1 Switzerland
Sweden 1-1 Slovakia
Belarus 0-0 Greece
Scotland 4-2 Denmark — Tartan Army complete amazing run
Bulgaria 2-1 Georgia
Spain 2-2 Turkiye
Austria 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Romania 7-1 San Marino
Belgium 7-0 Liechtenstein
Wales 7-1 North Macedonia
