UEFA 2026 World Cup qualifying: Who is set to qualify? | OneFootball

UEFA’s 2026 World Cup qualification draws to a close this month, play-offs aside, with plenty at stake.

England are the only European nation already guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup, ahead of this month’s fixtures. Here is the state of play across European qualifying.

European 2026 World Cup qualifying: Who is set to qualify?

Group A

Germany are in pole position to qualify but work is required to secure an automatic place at the tournament. The Germans, who have never failed to qualify for a World Cup, lead Slovakia on goal difference ahead of fixtures with Luxembourg and the Slovakians this month.

Germany will confirm at least a play-off place if they beat Luxembourg (without a point after four games) on Friday.

Slovakia host Northern Ireland on the same night, and will hope to take the battle for top spot to a winner-takes-all showdown against Germany in Leipzig on November 17th.

Northern Ireland will overhaul Slovakia into second place with a win on Friday. However, regardless of upcoming results, Michael O’Neill’s side are already guaranteed a play-off place due to their Nations League performances.

Group B

Switzerland lead Group B and will book their place at the World Cup if they better Kosovo’s result on November 15th. The Swiss host struggling Sweden this weekend, while Kosovo travel to Slovenia. The two teams meet in the final game of the group on November 18th.

Slovenia must beat Kosovo to stand any chance of overhauling them into the play-offs. There’s currently a four-point gap with two games to go. Bottom-of-the-group Sweden face a near-impossible task to finish second, though they should achieve a play-off place having won their Nations League group. The Swedes are now under the management of ex-West Ham boss Graham Potter.

Group C

Denmark and Scotland have secured top-two finishes in Group C, with the battle now on for automatic qualification.

The Danes lead due to a superior goal difference (+6), ahead of facing pointless Belarus on Saturday. Scotland travel to already-eliminated Greece, where a result is likely to be needed ahead of their showdown with Denmark at Hampden on November 18th.

Group D

France will qualify as group winners if Les Bleus beat second-place Ukraine in Paris on Thursday night. A draw would also likely be enough, given their vastly superior goal difference.

The big battle in Group D is set to be between Ukraine and Iceland. The latter trail the Ukrainians by three points heading into the penultimate games, while the two meet in Warsaw on the final matchday this month. Iceland will move above Ukraine heading into that game if they beat Azerbaijan and Ukraine lose in France.

Azerbaijan have just a solitary point and would require two wins, alongside two defeats for Ukraine, and a 10-goal turnaround in goal difference to reach the play-offs.

Group E

European champions Spain have a flawless record in Group E and are close to qualification. La Roja will qualify automatically if they better Turkey’s result in the next round of fixtures. Spain face Georgia, while Turkey host Bulgaria.

Turkey need just a point to be assured of at least a play-off place, or for Georgia to fail to win both of their last two games. A win for the Crescent-Stars against Bulgaria, coupled with Spain failing to beat Georgia, would set up a winner-takes-all showdown for top spot. Turkey and Spain meet in Seville in the final round of games.

Group F

Portugal need two points from their final two games to secure top spot in Group F. Roberto Martinez’s side have a five-point lead over second-placed Hungary, who snatched a late equaliser to deny them qualification in Lisbon last month.

Hungary are a point ahead of the Republic of Ireland heading into the penultimate fixtures. A win for Hungary against Armenia, coupled with an Irish loss to Portugal, would seal their play-off place, leaving the final fixture between the teams redundant.

Group G

The Netherlands and Poland meet with top spot at stake on Thursday. A point for the Dutch is almost certain to be enough for automatic qualification, given their massively superior goal difference (+13).

Finland can still overtake Poland for a play-off spot, but would need to win their final fixture against Malta, and hope Poland lose to both the Netherlands and Malta.

Group H

Three teams can still technically top Group H with two games to go. Austria (15 points) are the current leaders, ahead of Bosnia (13 points) and Romania (10 points). If Austria beat Cyprus this weekend, they will qualify provided Bosnia fail to beat Romania.

Should both teams win, Romania will be eliminated, with top spot decided by the final fixture, when Austria host Bosnia in Vienna.

Incredibly, San Marino could earn a play-off spot, should Romania finish second. San Marino, FIFA’s lowest-ranked nation, would be rewarded for their Nations League performances.

Group I

Norway and Italy are confirmed as the top two, with top spot all that’s still at stake. Norway, who have not qualified for a World Cup since 1998, have won all six games to build a three-point lead over the Italians.

The Norwegians can all but secure qualification with a win at home to Estonia on Thursday, given their extraordinary +26 goal difference, 16 higher than Italy’s. The top two meet at the San Siro this weekend in the final fixture.

Group J

Belgium (14 points) need one win from their final two games to top the group. The Red Devils currently lead North Macedonia by one point, though have played a game less.

Rudi Garcia’s team travel to Kazakhstan next, before concluding qualification against Liechtenstein on Tuesday.

Both North Macedonia (13 points) and Wales (10 points) can overhaul Belgium, but require wins in their final fixtures and a slip from the leaders. Wales will be guaranteed second if they win their final two fixtures, against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia. Craig Bellamy’s side are guaranteed a play-off place regardless due to their Nations League performances.

Group K

England are the only European team confirmed at the 2026 World Cup. The Three Lions wrapped up qualification last month, having won all six games without conceding a goal.

Thomas Tuchel’s side face Serbia and Albania in their final two games, the sides bidding to reach the play-offs. Albania (11 points) have a slight lead over Serbia (10 points) and will secure a play-off place if they beat Andorra and Serbia lost to England at Wembley on Thursday.

Group L

Croatia need one point against the Faroe Islands on Friday to book their World Cup place, or in Montenegro in their final fixture.

The Czech Republic currently sit second, three points behind Croatia with one game remaining. Incredibly, the Faroe Islands have a chance to overtake the Czechs, though would need a better result against Croatia than the Czech Republic achieve against Gibraltar.

Should they reach the tournament, the Faroe Islands would become the smallest ever World Cup nation by population size.

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