As the excitement builds globally with the ongoing matches to determine the participants for the upcoming World Cup, European national teams are presently focused on the UEFA Nations League.
The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with the tournament kicking off on June 11 and culminating in the final on July 19.
This edition will introduce an extended format, featuring over a month of matches.
For the first time, 48 teams will compete—an increase from the previous 32.
These teams will be divided into twelve groups of four, with the top two from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advancing to the knockout rounds.
Thanks to this expanded format, Europe will now send sixteen teams to the World Cup rather than thirteen.
The draw for the European qualifiers is scheduled for December 13 in Zurich, following the completion of the UEFA Nations League group stage.
This ranking will determine the seeded teams for the draw.
A total of 54 national teams will participate in the draw, but Russia has been excluded due to external circumstances.
The qualifiers will feature twelve groups—six with five teams and six with four.
Direct qualification for the World Cup will go to the group winners, while four additional spots will be decided through playoffs involving group runners-up and the top four teams from the UEFA Nations League that did not qualify.
Qualification matches will commence in March 2025 and conclude in November of the same year, followed by playoffs to finalize the last four spots.
During the draw, the 54 European nations will be categorized into five pots.
The twelve seeded teams will comprise the four UEFA Nations League winners, the four playoff runners-up, and the top four ranked teams not already seeded.
Currently, Italy ranks seventh in the FIFA standings, positioning them well for a seeded spot, though their performance in the Nations League may influence this outcome.
Italy aims to avoid formidable opponents like Serbia and Turkey in the second pot, while Norway could pose a challenge from the third pot.
However, the final identification of the draw pots remains crucial before any assumptions can be made.
For more information, check out the details on the 2026 World Cup format [here](https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/2026/format).
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