Accordingly, UEFA announced that 54 out of 55 European teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Russian team remains excluded due to a ban imposed by the world football governing body (FIFA) since February 2022.
The 2026 World Cup European qualifiers will take place in March 2025.
The 54 European teams will be seeded based on their UEFA coefficient at the time of the draw, with the teams divided into 12 groups, consisting of groups of 4 and groups of 5, each team playing against each other in a home and away format.
The 12 group winners will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup. The remaining 4 spots will be decided by a series of play-off matches involving the 12 group runners-up.
The draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifying group stage in the European region took place on December 13th, but UEFA has not yet set a specific date. The first matches of this qualifying round will take place in March 2025, and will conclude in November of the same year. The play-off round for the remaining four spots in the European region, including the semi-finals and final, will take place on March 26th and 31st, 2026.
The European qualifying rounds are taking place later than the other regions. In Asia, the qualifying matches have already reached the third round. In South America, teams have played up to the tenth round. In Africa, the first group stage is underway. In the CONCACAF region, the second group stage is in progress. Similarly, in the Oceania region, the second group stage is also underway.
Expected seedings for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the European region.
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring 48 teams for the first time. Europe will have the most qualifying spots (16), followed by Africa with 9, Asia with 8, and South America with 6. These regions will also have one play-off spot each.
To date, the 2026 World Cup is only about 18 months away. Regional qualifying matches will take place intensively from the end of 2024 and throughout 2025 to determine the outstanding teams that will participate in the world's biggest football event. Currently, only the three co-hosting teams – the USA, Canada, and Mexico – have secured their places; no team has yet qualified for the finals.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khi-nao-boc-tham-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-khu-vuc-chau-au-doi-tuyen-nga-ra-sao-185241113103826379.htm
Comment (0)