The grid, principle and date of the 2026 World Cup draw have been determined
Kyiv • UNN
The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on December 13, 2024. 55 national teams will be divided into 12 groups, the winners of the groups will reach the final stage, the second places and the 4 best teams of the Nations League will play the playoffs.
The European qualifying tournament for the FIFA 2026 World Cup is scheduled to begin in March 2025. The finals of the 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held with the participation of 48 teams in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Ukraine is in the second basket of the draw.
Writes UNN with a link to uefa.com.
The draw for the 12 groups, which will include the eight best teams of the Nations League (four winners and four runners-up will qualify for the playoffs), will take place on December 13, 2024.
Ukraine's national team is in the second draw basket, along with Turkey, Sweden, and Wales. Greece, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic are likely to be there.
2026 World Cup qualifiers - how it works
The new format of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament was unveiled by UEFA on January 25.
55 national teams will be divided into 12 groups (without Russia, although the situation has not yet been resolved).
The preliminary stages will be reduced to groups of four or five teams (instead of five or six).
The winners of each qualifying group will advance to the final stage.
The runners-up and the four best-ranked teams in the League of Nations will participate in the playoffs.
The final will be held in 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States:
USA (11): Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle
Mexico (3): Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
Canada (2): Toronto, Vancouver
The final will take place in New York on July 19, 2026.
