World Cup 2026 draw LIVE: England and Scotland discover qualifying opponents as groups drawn
England will play Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in Thomas Tuchel’s first games in charge as the road to World Cup 2026 begins
England will play Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in World Cup 2026 qualifying, in what will be Thomas Tuchel’s first games in charge after replacing Gareth Southgate.
The Three Lions, who were among the top seeds for the qualifying draw, were placed in the five-team Group K. First place in each group automatically secures a spot at the finals - in Canada, Mexico and the United States - in 18 months.
Many of the groups are not yet complete and will depend on the outcome of the Nations League quarter-finals, which will be played in March.
Scotland will play the loser of the tie between Portugal and Denmark, along with Greece and Belarus in the four-team Group C
Wales will once again take on Belgium, as well as North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein in the five-team Group J.
Northern Ireland will meet the winners of Germany and Italy’s quarter-final, as well as Slovakia and Luxembourg in the four-team Group A .
Meanwhile the Republic of Ireland will face the winner of Portugal and Denmark’s quarter-final, as well as Hungary and Armenia in the four-team Group F.
Qualifying runs from late March 2025 through to mid-November, with play-offs for those who need them being played out in March 2026.
Follow the live blog for the 2026 World Cup qualifying groups below:
We should all be worried about Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup
Fifa’s handing of the 2034 Men’s World Cup to Saudi Arabia, by breaking its own rules and without conducting proper human rights due diligence, highlights why the UK needs to act fast and take a firm stance against “sportswashing” before it’s too late.
A piece of legislation currently making its way through parliament in the UK – the Football Governance Bill, at the committee stage in the House of Lords – should explicitly rule out individuals and entities implicated in grave human rights abuses from securing stakes in football clubs in England and Wales. The new Human Rights Watch report about how Saudi Arabia is using its sovereign wealth fund, which holds a majority stake in Newcastle United, is a prime example.
We should all be worried about Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup
Northern Ireland will find it tough
Northern Ireland’s group will feature either Germany or Italy. Both teams will be near impossible to beat on their day.
Slovakia are also tricky customers and very adept at making it out of qualifying but Northern Ireland will need some positive results against them if they hope to progress.
Luxembourg have to be their bankers. They’ll need two wins from two against them to have any chance of going through.
Bellamy will be excited
Being in Pot 1 meant that England were more than likely going to get drawn against favourable teams. Wales on the other hand have pulled a rabbit out of the hat.
Belgium will always be tough but North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein should all be beatable.
Craig Bellamy will be rubbing his hands together at the prospect of a World Cup play-off (at the very least) and maybe even an automatic spot for the tournament itself.
Scotland have testing but pleasing draw
I think the most interesting draw for the home nations is Scotland’s.
Portugal/Denmark, Greece and Belarus are all teams that Steve Clarke’s men can perform well against so there is a real chance they can make it through qualifying.
Yet, a stumble here and there could mean they falter against teams who are defensively sound (Denmark and Greece for example).
When are the qualifying matches?
Tho international breaks which will feature World Cup qualifying are 21-25 March, 6-10 June, 4-9 September, 9-14 October and 13-18 November next year.
No team will play World Cup qualifiers on all of those dates because there is a maximum of eight games. Some teams will start in March, others will start in June and four-team groups will not start until September.
World Cup play-offs will be held between 26-31 March in 2026.
Thomas Tuchel will be pleased
England have been drawn into a five-team group.
They’ll face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra with the qualifiers beginning in March in what will be Thomas Tuchel’s first tests as England manager.
The German will be happy with that group. There shouldn’t be too many problems to navigate but you never know.
World Cup qualifying draw LIVE
The final three teams come out of the pot.
In Group K is Andorra due to a travel restriction in Group J. That completes England’s group.
Leichtenstein meanwhile take the spot in Group J.
Gibraltar are the last team out and they complete Group L.
World Cup qualifying draw LIVE
There are six teams in this pot and will be placed in groups G-L.
Malta come out first and go into Group G.
Next out are San Marino who go into Group H.
Group I receive Moldova.
World Cup qualifying draw LIVE
Full draw after Pot 4:
Group A: Winner of Germany vs Italy, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.
Group C: Loser of Portugal vs Denmark, Greece, Scotland, Belarus.
Group D: Winner of France vs Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.
Group E: Winner of Spain vs Netherlands, Turkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria.
Group F: Winner of Portugal vs Denmark, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia.
Group G: Loser of Spain vs Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia & Herzegovenia, Cyprus
Group I: Loser of Germany vs Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia
Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan
Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Lavia
Group L: Loser of France vs Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands
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