As various football confederations reveal their preliminary participants for the 2026 World Cup set in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Europe kicks off its journey towards the World Cup today. UEFA nations will contest for 16 of the 48 coveted spots in this unprecedented football tournament.

The European teams are organized into 12 groups, with each group’s victor progressing to the World Cup. The remaining four spots will be filled through additional qualifiers among the second-placed teams from the groups and top performers from the Nations League, who did not secure direct qualification in the groups.

The European qualification structure is also categorized. Groups A to F are composed of four teams each but will not commence their matches until September. These groups consist of teams that reached the quarter-finals of the Nations League.

Groups K and L will kick off, including teams like Montenegro, starting from the March window.

Today, six matches are on the schedule in the UEFA zone. The action begins at 18:00 with San Marino facing Cyprus in Group H, followed by Romania hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina at 20:45. Group K will feature Andorra against Latvia and England going up against Albania, marking the start of Thomas Tuchel as the new coach. In Group G, Malta will host Finland and Poland will take on Lithuania.

Europe is guaranteed 16 World Cup slots, while Africa has nine secured spots. Egypt, Morocco, and Iran are virtually assured of their places at the finals, while Australia and other Asian teams compete for eight qualifying positions, with Japan and Australia already confirmed for the 2026 World Cup.

Six South American teams have guaranteed qualification for the World Cup, and Argentina remains confident as the reigning champions, leading with 25 points halfway through the qualifiers. The “gauchos” face two tough matches in the March cycle, traveling to Uruguay tonight and hosting Brazil four days later, although they will be without stars Leo Messi and Lautaro Martinez due to injury.

With the USA, Canada, and Mexico automatically qualifying as hosts, they will compete for three additional spots within the CONCACAF region. A first in this competition, Oceania will also feature a guaranteed representative, determined through a playoff. In the semi-finals, New Caledonia will take on Tahiti, while New Zealand will face Fiji. The winner of the final will secure a spot in the World Cup.

The final two spots will be occupied via an intercontinental playoff featuring six teams across five FIFA confederations, including representatives beyond UEFA.

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