The draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers is scheduled for this Friday, discover the hats.
The 2026 World Cup is already fast approaching and the draw for the qualifiers is already a big first step. The French team, finalist of the last World Cup, is part of hat 1 during the qualifying draw for the Europe zone which takes place this December 13 in Zurich.
This seeded status was granted to the eight quarter-finalists of the Nations League (France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Denmark) as well as the four highest ranked European countries in the Fifa rankings (England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria).
Pool of 4 or 5 for the Blues?
Despite the draw on December 13, France will not fully know its future program because everything will depend on whether or not it is present in the Final Four of the Nations League. In the event of accession to the Final Four of the League of Nations (June 4 to 8, 2025), the Blues will play in a group of four and will begin their campaign in September 2025. If they are eliminated in the quarter-finals, they will begin the World Cup qualifying in June 2025 in a group of five nations.
Hats
- Hat 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria
- Hat 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway
- Hat 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel
- Hat 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania
- Hat 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino
A 48-a-side World Cup, the qualification rules
For the first time in history, the World Cup will pit 48 countries against each other, including 16 European countries. The first of each of the 12 groups will directly qualify for the final phase. The runners-up, as well as the four other best-ranked teams among those having finished first in their Nations League group, will compete for the last four tickets via play-offs in March 2026.
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