The first home-and-away match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament against Azerbaijan, which will take place on September 9th, will be held at the Republican Stadium named after Tofig Bahramov in Baku. This information is provided by the UEFA website.

The match will start at 19:00 local time in Kyiv.

We remind you that Ukraine's national team will compete for a spot at the American World Cup in Group D alongside Azerbaijan, Iceland, and France.

2026 World Cup Qualifiers. UEFA 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

Round 1. September 5, 2025

Ukraine — France 21:45

Iceland — Azerbaijan 21:45

Round 2. September 9, 2025

Azerbaijan — Ukraine 19:00

France — Iceland 21:45

Round 3. October 10, 2025

Iceland — Ukraine 21:45

France — Azerbaijan 21:45

Round 4. October 13, 2025

Ukraine — Azerbaijan 21:45

Iceland — France 21:45

Round 5. November 13, 2025

Azerbaijan — Iceland 19:00

France — Ukraine 21:45

Round 6. November 16, 2025

Ukraine — Iceland 19:00

Azerbaijan — France 19:00

Kyiv time.

UEFA (Europe): 16 spots.

The European qualifying round will take place from March 2025 to March 2026 and consists 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 between March and November 2025 in a traditional group stage system. The twelve group winners will receive direct tickets to the final stage.

The twelve second-place finishers, along with the top four third-placed teams from UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 who finished 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 2026 World Cup.

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 hosts + 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.

2026 World Cup. Final Tournament

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

Matches for the 23rd World Cup will take place in sixteen cities. These include Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey in Mexico, as well as Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle in the United States.

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

2026 World Cup Final Tournament Schedule