The draw for the final tournament of the 2026 World Cup will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on December 5th at 19:00 Kyiv time, FIFA reports.

By that time, 42 out of 48 participants will be known. The remaining six will be determined in March 2026 after the play-off matches.

As a reminder, Ukraine's national team will start its World Cup qualifying campaign on September 5th in Wrocław with a match against France. Also in our group are teams from Iceland and Azerbaijan.

2026 World Cup Qualifiers in 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 of Group D matches

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

Match times are in Kyiv time.

UEFA (Europe): 16 spots.

The European zone qualifiers 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 group winners 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 at the European qualification group stage, will participate in knockout mini-tournaments.

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

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, as well as 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 11, 2026, in Mexico City, while the final will be hosted by New York on July 19.

2026 World Cup Final Tournament Schedule