FIFA World Cup 2026: Germany learn qualification path
Germany will go into Group A in European qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after they beat Italy in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
The draw for UEFA qualifying towards the next World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA was made on 13 December 2024, with 54 nations divided into 12 groups of either four or five teams, with place-holders and restrictions in place due to the culmination of the UEFA Nations League in 2025, with quarter-finals and play-offs still to be played at the time.
As one of the eight Nations League quarter-finalists, Germany’s group and opponents were dependent on whether they progressed to the semi-finals or lost to Italy in March. After Julian Nagelsmann’s men won 5-4 on aggregate, they will be in the four-team Group A with Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. Italy go into the five-team Group I with Erling Haaland’s Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova.
Groups for European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
Group A
Germany, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
Group B
Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C
Denmark, Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D
France, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E
Spain, Türkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F
Portugal, Hungary, Ireland, Armenia
Group G
Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H
Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I
Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J
Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein
Group K
England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L
Croatia, Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
The 2026 World Cup will feature an increased 48 teams, meaning the amount of sides qualifying from the European section of the draw goes from 13 at the 2022 World Cup to 16 for the next edition, the highest allocation of any confederation.
The European qualifiers begin for five-team groups in March 2025 and for four team groups the following September. Group-stage qualifiers will then be complete in November 2025.
The group winners from each of the 12 sections qualify automatically for the 2026 finals. The 12 runners-up and four best-ranked UEFA Nations League sides from 2024/25 (who have not already filled either of the aforementioned categories) advance to a 16-team UEFA play-off consisting of one-legged semi-finals and a final to determine the last four qualifiers in March 2026.
Related news
Bundesliga Goal of the Month - vote now!
Take your pick from some sensational January goals from the likes of Serge Gnabry, Mohamed Amoura and Keke Topp.
'Dortmund should voice title ambition'
Nico Schlotterbeck has said Dortmund must "have the ambition” to tell their passionate fans they want to win the Bundesliga title this season.
Who is Brajan Gruda?
All you need to know about RB Leipzig's new signing, who returns to the Bundesliga after time in the English Premier League.