A year and a half before the start of the competition, the 2026 World Cup (June 11 – July 19) is already on everyone’s minds. The World Cup, organized by Mexico, the United States and Canada, will take a new turn this Friday, December 13 with the draw for the qualifiers which will determine the qualified teams in this major competition. The first meetings will begin in March and end in November 2025. Didier Deschamps’ French team will know their future opponents.
The compositions of the five different hats
The teams will be divided into the twelve groups of the Europe zone, divided into six groups of four teams and six groups of five. Sixteen UEFA nations will stand out and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The twelve winners of each group will earn their ticket to this prestigious competition. The remaining four places will be allocated in March 2026, based on the play-offs in which the 12 runners-up from each group and the four highest-ranked teams in the 2023-2024 UEFA Nations League, i.e. the group winners, will participate. who have not yet validated their ticket for the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA play-offs.
Here is the composition of the different hats:
Hat 1 : France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria.
Hat 2 : Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czechia, Norway.
Hat 3 : Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel.
Hat 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.
Hat 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.
What time does the playoff draw take place?
The draw will take place on Friday December 13 in Zurich (Switzerland) at 12 p.m.
On which channel can you watch the qualifying draw?
The draw will be broadcast on the Fifa website as well as on broadcast partners. Live commentary will also be provided on our site. ouest-france.fr
