UEFA WC 26 Qualifying

[JS96]

The draw takes place on December 13th with qualifying beginning in 2025.

Pot 1: Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria.

Pot 2: Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.

Port 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Israel.

Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faeroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.

Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.

 

[JS96]

Groups with 4-5 teams. Winners qualify and 2nd place go to playoffs with 4 Nations League sides. Wish UEFA had intercontinental playoffs with CAF or AFC.

 

[JS96]

You just know it'll be England Ukraine Slovenia and Bulgaria
England get a lot of the same teams and it's boring.

Some interesting possibilities.

 

[NicCarBel]

Groups with 4-5 teams. Winners qualify and 2nd place go to playoffs with 4 Nations League sides. Wish UEFA had intercontinental playoffs with CAF or AFC.

By the way I'm understanding the new intercontinental playoff system, they will get one in years they host a World Cup. Not sure how it's going to work for 2030 though, as 3 confederations will be hosting.

 

[NicCarBel]

second 'by the way' - this should be the rankings of the 14 group winners of the UEFA Nations League - so the four highest ranked of these that don't finish in the top 2 of their group will head to the UEFA Playoffs (Spain, Germany, France, Portugal will be decided via the Nations League Finals in March.

1. Spain*
2. Germany*
3. France*
4. Portugal*
5. England
6. Norway
7. Wales
8. Czech Republic
9. Romania
10. Sweden
11. North Macedonia
12. Northern Ireland
13. Moldova
14. San Marino

Have also noticed the Nations League Finals + League A/B and B/C playoffs seem to clash with Matchdays 1-4 of WCQ, so I gather there will be some readjustment for affected nations by UEFA

 

[Beretta]

The draw takes place on December 13th with qualifying beginning in 2025.

Pot 1: Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria.

Pot 2: Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.

Port 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Israel.

Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faeroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.

Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.

Draw is this friday 13th.

 

[NicCarBel]

Draw is this friday 13th.

Can already see the headlines:

Horror draw for...