Everything you need to know about UEFA qualifying
FIFA World Cup 26™ tickets: 16
Dates
Europe’s World Cup 26 qualifying competition is scheduled to begin in March 2025 and conclude in March 2026.
Teams qualified for FIFA World Cup 26™
None
Eliminated
None
How qualifying works
The first round will follow a familiar format, with 12 groups of four or five teams, and the section winners securing World Cup slots.
The continent’s four remaining berths will then be settled in a 16-team UEFA play-off competition involving the 12 group runners-up and four best-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners.
Top scorers from previous European qualifying campaigns
۱۹۵۸: Tommy Taylor (England): ۸ goals
۱۹۶۲: Andrej Kvasnak (Czechoslovakia): ۷
۱۹۶۶: Eusebio (Portugal): ۷
۱۹۷۰: Gerd Muller (West Germany): ۹
۱۹۷۴: Hristo Bonev (Bulgaria), Johan Cruyff (Netherlands), Gigi Riva (Italy), Joachim Streich (East Germany): ۷
۱۹۷۸: Roberto Bettega (Italy): ۹
۱۹۸۲: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany): ۹
۱۹۸۶: Preben Ekjaer (Denmark): ۸
۱۹۹۰: Marc van der Linden (Belgium): ۷
۱۹۹۴: Florin Raducioiu (Romania): ۹
۱۹۹۸: Predrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavia): ۱۴
۲۰۰۲: Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine): ۱۰
۲۰۰۶: Pauleta (Portugal): ۱۱
۲۰۱۰: Theofanis Gekas (Greece): ۱۰
۲۰۱۴: Robin van Persie (Netherlands): ۱۱
۲۰۱۸: Robert Lewandowski (Poland): ۱۶
۲۰۲۲: Harry Kane (England), Memphis Depay (Netherlands): ۱۲
FIFA World Cup™ winners from UEFA
Germany: 4 titles
Italy: 4
France: 2
Spain: 1
England: 1
