2026 World Cup - European qualifiers

[dandeer]

Thought I'd start this conversation.

Does anyone know when the draw will be held? I assume it will be after the Euro.

[Sagy]

Thought I'd start this conversation.

Does anyone know when the draw will be held? I assume it will be after the Euro.

I thought it was in December or after the March window but before the Euro since games start in the Sep 2024 window.

[dandeer]

I don't think qualifiers start before 2025 March. In autumn 2024 NL games are up.

[Sagy]

I don't think qualifiers start before 2025 March. In autumn 2024 NL games are up.

You are right.

[christoph2136]

Groups of 5

March 17-25: Matchday 1 + 2
June 2-10: Matchday 3 + 4
September 1-9: Matchday 5 + 6
October 6-14: Matchday 7 + 8
November 10-18: Matchday 9 + 10

Groups of 4

September 1-9: Matchday 1 + 2
October 6-14: Matchday 3 + 4
November 10-18: Matchday 5 + 6

March 23-31 (2026): Play-offs

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA ... ion_(UEFA)[/b][/b]

[nogomet]

What happened to the plan to arrange the schedule in a way to have fewer (but longer) international breaks instead of the existing five?

[amenina]

What happened to the plan to arrange the schedule in a way to have fewer (but longer) international breaks instead of the existing five?

It will start after the 2026 World Cup. The two separate windows in September and October will be combined into a longer window.

https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/3123d3709 ... 030_EN.pdf

[Diouf]

Am I missing something or will this draw have to be insanely restricted, if even possible to do with FIFA ranking deciding the pots?

Maybe it's late and I'm overlooking something.

But won't there need to be 24 teams free in March in the five-team groups, so that four teams in each of the six five-team groups can play two games in March?
And with eight teams playing NL quarters and twenty teams playing relegation matches, that only leaves 26 teams who are free in March?

So the draw will have to be heavily restricted, if even possible, to ensure that at least 24 of those 26 teams go in the five-team groups?

EDIT: Okay, C/D playoffs are later. So it's 24 of 30 teams. But that still seems like it's gonna be extremely restricted

[Jackson Harrison]

Am I missing something or will this draw have to be insanely restricted, if even possible to do with FIFA ranking deciding the pots?

Maybe it's late and I'm overlooking something.

But won't there need to be 24 teams free in March in the five-team groups, so that four teams in each of the six five-team groups can play two games in March?
And with eight teams playing NL quarters and twenty teams playing relegation matches, that only leaves 26 teams who are free in March?

So the draw will have to be heavily restricted, if even possible, to ensure that at least 24 of those 26 teams go in the five-team groups?

Yeah. The NL QF ones are gunna have to be either ors!

[Korgutt]

All nations which drop in a group of four and have no playoffs or Nations League matches they have to play friendlies in march and june?

[Jackson Harrison]

All nations which drop in a group of four and have no playoffs or Nations League matches they have to play friendlies in march and june?

IK. It feels stupid. At least have some tournament for the teams not playing!

[Korgutt]

All nations which drop in a group of four and have no playoffs or Nations League matches they have to play friendlies in march and june?

IK. It feels stupid. At least have some tournament for the teams not playing!

Group of 4 they have to play qualifying matches in september, october and november 2025. Bur there is window in march and june 2025. With 54 Nations in the qualifying there have to be 6 groups with 4 nations and 6 groups with 5 Nations. So I think next year will be many friendlies in march and june among the 24 nations in march and june.

[Tazmania]

FIFA will use the UNL group stage ranking to make the draw in December with 12 teams in pots 1-4 and 6 teams in pot 5 (assuming Russia remains suspended).

Pot 1: NL A positions 1-3 (no teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)
Pot 2: NL A position 4 and B positions 1-2 (8 teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)
Pot 3: NL B positions 3-4 and C position 1 (8 teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)
Pot 4: NL C positions 2-4 (6 teams available for European Qualifiers March 2025)
Pot 5: NL D positions 1-3 (4 teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)

[Korgutt]

FIFA will use the UNL group stage ranking to make the draw in December with 12 teams in pots 1-4 and 6 teams in pot 5 (assuming Russia remains suspended).

Pot 1: NL A positions 1-3 (no teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)
Pot 2: NL A position 4 and B positions 1-2 (8 teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)
Pot 3: NL B positions 3-4 and C position 1 (8 teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)
Pot 4: NL C positions 2-4 (6 teams available for European Qualifiers March 2025)
Pot 5: NL D positions 1-3 (4 teams available for European Qualifiers in March 2025)

Sources? Where can I find this?
And if Russia will be with here they will be the last ranked nation in the qualifying because they are suspended from Nations League.

[Tazmania]

Intuition!

No, seriously, in order to avoid deadlock in the draw they have to use UNL GS ranking and there is - for the first time - a clause in the FIFA WCQ regulations allowing a draw to be seeded not according to the FIFA World Ranking. No other confederation will use the clause.