Reasons why the Russian team was eliminated.

Accordingly, the Russian national team submitted an application to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. However, the application was rejected because they are still under a ban from participating in all tournaments organized by the world football governing body (FIFA) and Europe (UEFA) since February 2022.

The Russian national team (in white jerseys) during a friendly match against the Vietnamese national team in September.

Therefore, just like in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, the Russian team has been eliminated early from the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The European region now has 54 teams eligible to participate, instead of 55 as before, competing for 16 spots in the finals.

The results of the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the European region are as follows:

Group A: Winners of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between Germany and Italy , Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.

Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.

Group C: The losers of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between Portugal and Denmark , Greece, Scotland, and Belarus.

Group D: Winners of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between France and Croatia , Ukraine, Iceland, and Azerbaijan.

Group E: Winners of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between Spain and the Netherlands , Turkey, Georgia, and Bulgaria.

Group F: Winners of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between Portugal and Denmark , Hungary, Republic of Ireland, and Armenia.

Group G: The losers of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final match between Spain and the Netherlands , Poland, Finland, Lithuania, and Malta.

Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group I: Losers of UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between Germany and Italy , Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.

Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.

Group L: Losers of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final match between France and Croatia , Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.

After failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, the Italian national team has been drawn into either Group A or Group I, depending on the results of their two-legged UEFA Nations League quarter-final match against Germany in March 2025.

However, it's clear that the winning team will have an advantage, as Group A has 4 teams and easier opponents, while Group I has 5 teams, including Norway with two stars, Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, who will be a formidable opponent.

Coach Luciano Spalletti's team has been performing relatively impressively recently, rising to 9th place in the FIFA rankings and reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League 2024-2025 (against Germany), and are considered strong contenders to finish top of their group and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Italy national team coach Luciano Spalletti

Similarly, World Cup runners-up France also need to win against Croatia to remain in Group D with four teams; a loss would force them into Group L with five teams, which would be much more challenging. Meanwhile, England, under new coach Thomas Tuchel, will face many challenges in Group K with five teams and a formidable Serbian team vying for first place.

The 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the European region, with 6 groups of 5 teams each (from Group G to Group L), will begin in March 2025. The remaining 6 groups of 4 teams each (from Group A to Group F) will play their first matches in September 2025.

The teams compete in a round-robin format, with each team playing both home and away matches. The top 12 teams in each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the 12 second-placed teams and the four best-performing teams based on their final standings in the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League will advance to the play-offs to compete for the remaining four spots.

The European qualifying play-offs for the 2026 World Cup will take place in March 2026, with 16 teams divided into 4 groups. The teams will then compete in the semi-finals and final. The top 4 teams from each group will qualify for the finals in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ket-qua-boc-tham-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-chau-au-ly-do-doi-nga-bi-loai-185241213192629478.htm