A home match against Azerbaijan in the World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament, scheduled for October 13th, will be played by Ukraine's national team at the Krakówia stadium in Krakow, Poland. This venue, which has already hosted our team twice, can accommodate slightly more than 15,000 spectators and is home to the local club Krakówia.

It was here that on September 9th, 2022, in the League of Nations-2022/2023 round-robin stage, Ukraine drew with Scotland (0:0), and on October 9th, 2016, during the World Cup 2018 qualifying group stage, scored goals from Artem Kravets, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Ruslan Rotan to defeat Kosovo (3:0).

World Cup 2026. UEFA Qualifying Zone. First Round

Group A: Germany, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.

Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.

Group C: Denmark, Greece, Scotland, Belarus.

Group D: France, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.

Group E: Spain, Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria.

Group F: Portugal, Hungary, Ireland, Armenia.

Group G: Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.

Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group I: Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.

Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.

Group L: Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.

Schedule for Group D Matches

Round 1. September 5th, 2025

Ukraine — France 9:45 PM, Wrocław

Iceland — Azerbaijan 9:45 PM, Reykjavík

Round 2. September 9th, 2025

Azerbaijan — Ukraine 7:00 PM, Baku

France — Iceland 9:45 PM, Paris

Round 3. October 10th, 2025

Iceland — Ukraine 9:45 PM, Reykjavík

France — Azerbaijan 9:45 PM, Paris

Round 4. October 13th, 2025

Ukraine — Azerbaijan 9:45 PM, Krakow

Iceland — France 9:45 PM, Reykjavík

Round 5. November 13th, 2025

Azerbaijan — Iceland 7:00 PM, Baku

France — Ukraine 9:45 PM, Paris

Round 6. November 16th, 2025

Ukraine — Iceland 7:00 PM

Azerbaijan — France 7:00 PM, Baku

Kiev time.

UEFA (Europe): 16 spots.

The European qualifying zone will take place from March 2025 to March 2026 and consist of two rounds. Teams will compete for 16 spots at the World Cup.

Round 1: Twelve groups with five or four teams each will play from March to November 2025 in a traditional group stage system. The twelve winners of the groups will receive direct tickets to the final stage.

The twelve second-placed teams and the four best group winners of the UEFA Nations League-2024/2025 who finish below second place in the European qualifying group stage will participate in mini-tournaments.

Round 2: Mini-tournaments in March 2026 will consist of one-legged semi-finals and finals. The sixteen participants will be divided into four playoff paths. The four winners will receive tickets to the World Cup 2026.

AFC (Asia): 8 spots + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

CAF (Africa): 9 spots + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

CONCACAF (North and Central America): 3 tournament organizers + 3 spots + 2 places in intercontinental playoffs.

CONMEBOL (South America): 6 spots + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

OFC (Oceania): 1 spot + 1 place in intercontinental playoffs.

Intercontinental Playoffs: 2 spots.

World Cup 2026. Final Tournament

The World Cup 2026 will be the first in history to feature 48 national teams in its final stage. There will be twelve groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.

The matches of the 23rd World Cup will take place in sixteen cities. These are Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey in Mexico, and Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle in the USA.

The opening match of the World Cup will take place on June 11th, 2026, in Mexico City, while the final will be held on July 19th in New York.

World Cup 2026 Final Tournament Schedule