Portugal falls into a difficult group in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

(Dan Tri) - According to the draw results for the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in Europe, Portugal fell into a difficult group when they could face Hungary, Ireland, Greece, or Scotland.

On the evening of December 13, the International Football Federation (FIFA) held the draw ceremony for the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in Europe in Zurich (Switzerland). The qualifying round has a total of 54 teams divided into 12 groups, including 6 groups of 4 teams and 6 groups of 5 teams.

England are in Group K, which is considered to be easier than the other groups. The opponents of the "Three Lions" in this group include Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra. Serbia is probably the only opponent that makes coach Thomas Tuchel and his team feel apprehensive.

Ronaldo and Portugal promise to face a big challenge in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe (Photo: Getty).

In the last 15 confrontations, England won 6, drew 5 and lost 4 matches against Serbia. The most recent confrontation at Euro 2024 on June 17, although the "Three Lions" won, the score of 1-0 somewhat shows the difficulty that England will face when facing Serbia.

The groups will be finalised after the 2024-25 Nations League quarter-finals. The winners of the Germany-Italy, France-Croatia, Spain-Netherlands, and Portugal-Denmark ties will be placed in groups A, D, E, and F respectively.

However, for Portugal, winning or losing against Denmark will put them in a difficult group. Overcoming Denmark, Portugal will have to face Hungary, Ireland, Armenia in Group F. If they lose, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will face Greece, Scotland, Belarus in Group C.

The European qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup will take place from March 2025 to November 2025 in a two-legged round-robin format. The 12 group winners will automatically qualify, while the 12 runners-up will compete in a play-off round to determine the remaining four spots.

The 2026 World Cup qualifying groups in Europe (Photo: UEFA).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bo-dao-nha-roi-vao-bang-dau-khong-de-dang-o-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-20241214130025972.htm