Today, December 5, the draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup took place in Miami, as a result of which the Ukrainian national team learned about its potential opponents in the group. If it passes Sweden in the playoffs, and then the winner of the Poland - Albania pair, our national team will play in group "F", where the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia will perform, UNN reports.
Details
Group "A":
Mexico;
South Africa;
South Korea;
Denmark/North Macedonia - Czech Republic/Ireland.
Group "B":
Canada;
Qatar;
Switzerland;
Italy/Northern Ireland - Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Group "C":
Brazil;
Morocco;
Scotland;
Haiti.
Group "D":
USA;
Paraguay;
Australia;
Turkey/Romania - Slovakia/Kosovo.
Group "E":
Germany;
Côte d'Ivoire;
Ecuador;
Curaçao.
Group "F":
Netherlands;
Japan;
Tunisia;
Ukraine/Sweden - Poland/Albania.
Group "G":
Belgium;
Iran;
Egypt;
New Zealand.
Group "H":
Spain;
Uruguay;
Saudi Arabia;
Group "I":
France№
Senegal;
Norway;
Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname.
Group "J":
Argentina;
Austria;
Algeria;
Jordan.
Group "K":
Portugal;
Colombia;
Uzbekistan;
Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia.
Group "L":
England;
Croatia;
Panama;
Ghana.
Addition
US President Donald Trump, who openly sought the Nobel Peace Prize, finally received his own award, but from FIFA: the world football governing body presented him with the newly created Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw.
The Ukrainian national team secured a place in the playoffs thanks to a victory over Iceland (2:0) in the last round of the group stage, which allowed our team to take second place.
Ukraine, along with Italy, Denmark and Turkey, was in the first pot, and therefore cannot play against these national teams. The rest of the pots looked like this:
second pot: Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia;
third pot: Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo;
fourth pot: Romania, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Sweden.
To qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the Ukrainian national team needs to overcome two opponents. In the semi-finals, as already mentioned, Ukraine will play against Sweden.
The match at this stage will be nominally home for the Ukrainians.
The semi-finals will be held on March 26, 2026, the finals - on March 31.