Latest European World Cup 2026 qualifying rankings: Tense as a bowstring

Latest 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Europe Rankings

World Cup 2026 qualifying table for Europe.jpg

After the early morning matches on September 10, 2025, the situation of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in Europe has changed a lot. In Group A, Slovakia took the top spot with a perfect 2-game winning streak. Switzerland leads Group B with 6 absolute points, while Denmark and Scotland are in Group C.

France asserted their strength in Group D with two consecutive victories. Spain and Portugal both showed destructive form, winning all matches and keeping clean sheets in Groups E and F.

Group G saw the Netherlands and Poland accelerate, while Belgium temporarily surpassed Wales in Group J. Bosnia & Herzegovina and Austria made a strong impression in Group H with both reaching 12 points.

In Group I, Norway surprisingly took the lead with 15 points, surpassing both Italy and Israel. In the remaining groups, England, Croatia and the Czech Republic are clearly dominating, creating a solid foundation for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

General information about the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in Europe (UEFA):

Number of places to attend the 2026 World Cup: UEFA has a total of 16 places at the expanded 2026 World Cup (48 teams).
Format:
- Round 1 (Group Stage): 54 European teams are divided into 12 groups (including groups of 4 and 5 teams). Teams play a double round-robin (home and away).
  - The top 12 teams in each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup.
- Round 2 (Play-off Round): Includes 16 teams, including:
  - 12 runners-up from Round 1.
  - The 4 best-performing teams from the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League (if they are not in the top 2 of their World Cup qualifying group).
  - These 16 teams will be divided into 4 groups, each group has 4 teams, competing in a knockout format (semi-finals and finals).
  - The four winners of the four play-off rounds will secure the remaining four European spots at the 2026 World Cup.