Italy get top seed in World Cup qualifying draw | OneFootball

Spain’s 3-0 win over Serbia last night means Italy will be in pot one at the World Cup qualifying draw even if they lose both their next Nations League game.

Italy needed just one point to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals and get top-seed status at the 2026 World Cup qualification draw.

However, Gazzetta and Sport Mediaset report that Spain’s 3-0 victory over Serbia on Tuesday, which helped La Roja to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals with two games to spare, allowed Italy to be in pot 1 in the upcoming World Cup draw.

epa11659421 Starting eleven of Italy poses during the UEFA Nations League A soccer match Italy vs Israel in Udine, Italy, 14 October 2024. EPA-EFE/DAVIDE CASENTINI

Even if Italy fail to get one point in November matches against France and Belgium, the Azzurri will still be a seeded team in the qualification draw thanks to the FIFA ranking, with only England, Portugal, and the Netherlands ahead of La Nazionale.

The eight Nations League quarter-finalists and the four best-placed in the FIFA ranking are the seeded teams in the World Cup qualifiers. With last night’s results, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, England, Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands will surely be in pot one.

Four more are missing: Croatia and Switzerland are pretty close, while Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Denmark will battle for the remaining two spots.

Italy are unbeaten in the last four games thanks to victories over France, and Israel (twice) and a draw against Belgium.