HIBAPRESS-RABAT-FIFA
Following the release of the FIFA Men’s World Rankings earlier today, the procedure and seedings have been confirmed for the UEFA preliminary draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™
Pot 1 will feature the eight UEFA Nations League quarter-finalists – Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain – as well as the next four highest placed European nations in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings: England, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria. The Austrians find themselves in the top seeds for the first time since the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The remaining teams are distributed into Hats 2 to 5 according to their position in the standings. The victories scored by Slovakia over Estonia (1-0) and by the Czech Republic over Georgia (2-1) allowed these two nations to enter Hat 2.
As per the draw procedure, the draw will begin with Hat 1 and continue with Hat 2, and so on until Hat 5. Each hat must be completely emptied before moving on to the next. Generally speaking, and for each hat, the teams drawn will be placed progressively in the different groups – from Group A to Group L.
Team distribution for the UEFA preliminary draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking
Hat 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria
Hat 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Türkiye, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czechia and Norway
Hat 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel
Hat 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia and Lithuania
Hat 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein and San Marino
Live broadcast on FIFA.com, FIFA+ and by official broadcasters
On Friday, December 13, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. (CET), at FIFA headquarters in Zurich (Switzerland), FIFA member associations affiliated with UEFA will discover the path that will potentially lead them to the flagship event of 2026. Fans Football fans around the world will be able to watch the draw live on FIFA.com, FIFA+ and via FIFA’s broadcast partners.
The enlargement of the field for the final phase of the premier FIFA event resulted in an increase in the number of places allocated to the European selections, of which there will now be 16 present (compared to 13 previously). With 48 teams competing, the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup is already shaping up to be the most inclusive ever organized.
The group stage of the UEFA preliminary competition will begin in March 2025 and end in November 2025. It will take place according to a traditional format: 12 groups of four or five teams, with the first in each group directly qualifying for the final competition. The remaining four places will be allocated in March 2026 during a play-off tournament bringing together the 12 group runners-up and the four highest-ranked teams from the 2023/24 UEFA Nations League, namely the winners of group who have not yet validated their ticket for the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA play-offs.
