The UEFA section of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finally got underway in March.
While Africa, Asia and South America are among those confederations to have made substantial progress in their qualification pools, European nations will see theirs condensed into a 12-month period.
The group stage begins in March 2025 and will run into November, with the playoff round being staged in March 2026. After then, we will know which 16 European sides will compete at the final tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The draw for the groups took place on December 13. breaks down how it all looks.
There are 54 teams in total in UEFA's World Cup qualifying section. They were split into five pots for the draw, depending on their position in the FIFA rankings: the strongest sides are in Pot 1, with the weakest in Pot 5.
UEFA World Cup qualifying group stage schedule, standings
Group matches start in March 2025 and will conclude in November.
Some of the group placements were not determined until the UEFA Nations League knockout phase had reached the semifinal stage.
Group A
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Germany
3
2-1-0
+4
6
2.
Northern Ireland
3
2-1-0
+2
6
3.
Slovakia
3
2-1-0
+1
6
4.
Luxembourg
2
0-3-0
-7
0
Group A match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
Sep. 4, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Sep. 4, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Luxembourg 1-3 Northern Ireland
Sep. 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Germany 3-1 Northern Ireland
Sep. 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Luxembourg 0-1 Slovakia
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Germany 4-0 Luxembourg
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Northern Ireland 2-0 Slovakia
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Northern Ireland vs. Germany
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Slovakia vs. Luxembourg
Nov. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Luxembourg vs. Germany
Nov. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Slovakia vs. Northern Ireland
Nov. 17, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Northern Ireland vs. Luxembourg
Nov. 17, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Germany vs. Slovakia
Group B
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Switzerland
3
3-0-0
+9
9
2.
Kosovo
3
1-1-1
-2
4
3.
Slovenia
3
0-1-2
-3
2
4.
Sweden
3
0-2-1
-4
1
Group B match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Switzerland 4-0 Kosovo
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Slovenia 2-2 Sweden
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Kosovo 2-0 Sweden
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Switzerland 3-0 Slovenia
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Sweden 0-2 Switzerland
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Kosovo 0-0 Slovenia
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Sweden vs. Kosovo
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Slovenia vs. Switzerland
Nov. 15, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Sweden
Nov. 15, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Slovenia vs. Kosovo
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Sweden vs. Slovenia
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Kosovo vs. Switzerland
Group C
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Denmark
3
2-0-1
+9
7
2.
Scotland
3
2-0-1
+4
7
3.
Greece
3
1-2-0
-1
3
4.
Belarus
3
0-3-0
-12
0
Group C match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Denmark 0-0 Scotland
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Greece 5-1 Belarus
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Greece 0-3 Denmark
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Scotland 3-1 Greece
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belarus 0-6 Denmark
Oct. 12, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Scotland vs. Belarus
Oct. 12, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Denmark vs. Greece
Nov. 15, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Denmark vs. Belarus
Nov. 15, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Greece vs. Scotland
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Scotland vs. Denmark
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belarus vs. Greece
Group D
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
France
3
3-0-0
+6
9
2.
Ukraine
3
1-1-1
0
4
3.
Iceland
3
1-2-0
+2
3
4.
Azerbaijan
3
0-2-1
-8
1
Group D match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Ukraine 0-2 France
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Iceland 5-0 Azerbaijan
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Azerbaijan 1-1 Ukraine
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
France 2-1 Iceland
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
France 3-0 Azerbaijan
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Iceland 3-5 Ukraine
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Iceland vs. France
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan
Nov. 13, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Azerbaijan vs. Iceland
Nov. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
France vs. Ukraine
Nov. 16, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Ukraine vs. Iceland
Nov. 16, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Azerbaijan vs. France
Group E
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Spain
2
2-0-0
+9
6
2.
Georgia
2
1-1-0
+2
3
3.
Turkey
2
1-1-0
-5
3
4.
Bulgaria
2
0-2-0
-6
0
Group E match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
Sep. 4, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Georgia 2-3 Turkey
Sep. 4, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Bulgaria 0-3 Spain
Sep. 7, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Georgia 3-0 Bulgaria
Sep. 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Turkey 0-6 Spain
Oct. 11, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Spain vs. Georgia
Oct. 11, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Bulgaria vs. Turkey
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Spain vs. Bulgaria
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Turkey vs. Georgia
Nov. 15, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Turkey vs. Bulgaria
Nov. 15, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Georgia vs. Spain
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Bulgaria vs. Georgia
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Spain vs. Turkey
Group F
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Portugal
2
2-0-0
+6
6
2.
Armenia
2
1-1-0
-4
3
3.
Hungary
2
0-1-1
-1
1
4.
Republic of Ireland
2
0-1-1
-1
1
Group F match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
Sep. 6, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Armenia 0-5 Portugal
Sep. 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Republic of Ireland 2-2 Hungary
Sep. 9, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Armenia 2-1 Republic of Ireland
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Hungary 2-3 Portugal
Oct. 11, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Hungary vs. Armenia
Oct. 11, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Portugal vs. Republic of Ireland
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Portugal vs. Hungary
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Republic of Ireland vs. Armenia
Nov. 13, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Armenia vs. Hungary
Nov. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal
Nov. 16, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Hungary vs. Republic of Ireland
Nov. 16, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Portugal vs. Armenia
Group G
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Netherlands
5
4-0-1
+15
13
2.
Poland
5
3-1-1
+4
10
3.
Finland
6
3-2-1
-1
10
4.
Lithuania
6
0-3-3
-3
3
5.
Malta
6
0-4-2
-15
2
Group G match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
March 21, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Poland 1-0 Lithuania
March 21, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Malta 0-1 Finland
March 24, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Poland 2-0 Malta
March 24, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Lithuania 2-2 Finland
June 7, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Malta 0-0 Lithuania
June 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Finland 0-2 Netherlands
June 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Finland 2-1 Poland
June 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Netherlands 8-0 Malta
Sep. 4, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Netherlands 1-1 Poland
Sep. 4, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Lithuania 1-1 Malta
Sep. 7, 2025
6 p.m.
Lithuania 2-3 Netherlands
Sep. 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Poland 3-1 Finland
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Finland 2-1 Lithuania
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Malta 0-4 Netherlands
Oct. 12, 2025
TBC
Netherlands vs. Finland
Oct. 12, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Lithuania vs. Poland
Nov. 14, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Finland vs. Malta
Nov. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Poland vs. Netherlands
Nov. 17, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Malta vs. Poland
Nov. 17, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Netherlands vs. Lithuania
Group H
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Austria
5
5-0-0
+17
15
2.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
6
4-1-1
+8
13
3.
Romania
5
2-2-1
+4
7
4.
Cyprus
6
1-3-2
-2
5
5.
San Marino
6
0-6-0
-27
0
Group H match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
March 21, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Romania 0-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
March 21, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Cyprus 2-0 San Marino
March 24, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-1 Cyprus
March 24, 2025
8:45 p.m.
San Marino 1-5 Romania
June 7, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0 San Marino
June 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Austria 2-1 Romania
June 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Romania 2-0 Cyprus
June 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
San Marino 0-4 Austria
Sep. 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
San Marino 0-6 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sep. 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Austria 1-0 Cyprus
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Cyprus 2-2 Romania
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-2 Austria
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Cyprus 2-2 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Austria 10-0 San Marino
Oct. 12, 2025
3:00 p.m.
San Marino vs. Cyprus
Oct. 12, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Romania vs. Austria
Nov. 15, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Cyprus vs. Austria
Nov. 15, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. Romania
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Austria vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Romania vs. San Marino
Group I
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Norway
5
5-0-0
+21
15
2.
Italy
4
3-1-0
+5
9
3.
Israel
5
3-2-0
+4
9
4.
Estonia
5
1-4-0
-8
3
5.
Moldova
4
0-4-0
-12
0
Group I match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
March 22, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Moldova 0-5 Norway
March 22, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Israel 2-1 Estonia
March 25, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Israel 2-4 Norway
March 25, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Moldova 2-3 Estonia
June 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Norway 3-0 Italy
June 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Estonia 1-3 Israel
June 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Italy 2-0 Moldova
June 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Estonia 0-1 Norway
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Moldova 0-4 Israel
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Italy 5-0 Estonia
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Israel 4-5 Italy
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Norway 11-1 Moldova
Oct. 11, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Norway vs. Israel
Oct. 11, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Estonia vs. Italy
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Italy vs. Israel
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Estonia vs. Moldova
Nov. 13, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Norway vs. Estonia
Nov. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Moldova vs. Italy
Nov. 16, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Italy vs. Norway
Nov. 16, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Israel vs. Moldova
Group J
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
North Macedonia
6
3-0-3
+9
12
2.
Belgium
5
3-0-2
+13
11
3.
Wales
5
3-1-1
+5
10
4.
Kazakhstan
6
2-4-0
-4
6
5.
Liechtenstein
6
0-6-0
-23
0
Group J match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
March 22, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Liechtenstein 0-3 North Macedonia
March 22, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Wales 3-1 Kazakhstan
March 25, 2025
8:45 p.m.
North Macedonia 1-1 Wales
March 25, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Liechtenstein 0-2 Kazakhstan
June 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Wales 3-0 Liechtenstein
June 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
North Macedonia 1-1 Belgium
June 9, 2025
4:00 p.m.
Kazakhstan 0-1 North Macedonia
June 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belgium 4-3 Wales
Sep. 4, 2025
4:00 p.m.
Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
Sep. 4, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Liechtenstein 0-6 Belgium
Sep. 7, 2025
6:00 p.m.
North Macedonia 5-0 Liechtenstein
Sep. 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belgium 6-0 Kazakhstan
Oct. 10, 2025
4:00 p.m.
Kazakhstan 4-0 Liechtenstein
Oct. 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belgium 0-0 North Macedonia
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Wales vs. Belgium
Oct. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
North Macedonia vs. Kazakhstan
Nov. 15, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Kazakhstan vs. Belgium
Nov. 15, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Liechtenstein vs. Wales
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Wales vs. North Macedonia
Nov. 18, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Belgium vs. Liechtenstein
Group K
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
England
5
5-0-0
+13
15
2.
Albania
5
2-1-2
0
8
3.
Serbia
4
2-1-1
-1
7
4.
Latvia
5
1-3-1
-4
4
5.
Andorra
5
0-5-0
-10
0
Group K match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
March 21, 2025
8:45 p.m.
England 2-0 Albania
March 21, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Andorra 0-1 Latvia
March 24, 2025
8:45 p.m.
England 3-0 Latvia
March 24, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Albania 3-0 Andorra
June 7, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Andorra 0-1 England
June 7, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Albania 0-0 Serbia
June 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Serbia 3-0 Andorra
June 10, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Latvia 1-1 Albania
Sep. 6, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Latvia 0-1 Serbia
Sep. 6, 2025
6:00 p.m.
England 2-0 Andorra
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Serbia 0-5 England
Sep. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Albania 1-0 Latvia
Oct. 11, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Latvia vs. Andorra
Oct. 11, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Serbia vs. Albania
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Latvia vs. England
Oct. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Andorra vs. Serbia
Nov. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Andorra vs. Albania
Nov. 13, 2025
8:45 p.m.
England vs. Serbia
Nov. 16, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Serbia vs. Latvia
Nov. 16, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Albania vs. England
Group L
Team
Matches
W-L-D
GD
Pts.
1.
Croatia
5
4-0-1
+16
13
2.
Czechia
6
4-1-1
+5
13
3.
Faroe Islands
6
3-3-0
3
9
4.
Montenegro
5
2-4-0
-9
6
5.
Gibraltar
5
0-5-0
-15
0
Group L match schedule
Date
Time (CET)
Match
March 22, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Montenegro 3-1 Gibraltar
March 22, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Czechia 2-1 Faroe Islands
March 26, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Montenegro 1-0 Faroe Islands
March 26, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Gibraltar 0-4 Czechia
June 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Czechia 2-0 Montenegro
June 6, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Gibraltar 0-7 Croatia
June 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Croatia 5-1 Czechia
June 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Faroe Islands 2-1 Gibraltar
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Montenegro 0-2 Czechia
Sep. 5, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Faroe Islands 0-1 Croatia
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Gibraltar 0-1 Faroe Islands
Sep. 8, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Croatia 4-0 Montenegro
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Czechia 0-0 Croatia
Oct. 9, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Faroe Islands 4-0 Montenegro
Oct. 12, 2025
6:00 p.m.
Faroe Islands vs. Czechia
Oct. 12, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Croatia vs. Gibraltar
Nov. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Gibraltar vs. Montenegro
Nov. 14, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Croatia vs. Faroe Islands
Nov. 17, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Czechia vs. Gibraltar
Nov. 17, 2025
8:45 p.m.
Montenegro vs. Croatia
When are the UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs?
The playoffs take place in March 2026. The 16 teams involved will be split into four paths, with the overall winners of each path taking a place at the finals in North America.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 and runs through to July 19, 2026.
The opening game will see co-hosts Mexico face as-yet-unconfirmed opposition at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Fellow host nations Canada and the United States play their opening matches the following day: Canada's fixture will be at BMO Field in Toronto, while the USMNT's first game will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
