World Cup qualifying draw: time, how to watch live and Italy’s possible opponents

The European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup take place today, Friday, December 13 at 12:00 CET (11:00 GMT): here’s how to follow the event live and the possible opponents for Luciano Spalletti’s Italy.

The Azzurri will learn their opponents in the qualification path to the 2026 World Cup today.

The draw starts at 12:00 CET and will be streamed live on FIFA+ and its official YouTube channel.

Football Italia will follow the draw with a dedicated LIVEBLOG.

How many nations compete and how many qualify

54 UEFA-affiliated nations will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by three nations in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

As the 2026 World Cup will now feature 48 nations instead of the previous 32-team format, European nations will be competing for 16 places instead of 13 at the most recent World Cups.

How does qualifying work?  

Though the tournament has expanded, the UEFA qualifying process has done the opposite.

This time around, teams will be divided into 12 groups of either four or five.

Each country will play each other twice; once at home and once away and will receive three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss, as usual.

The 12 group winners will automatically qualify for the final tournament. The 12 runners-up will enter a play-off route, along with the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League group winners who have not already qualified. Those 16 teams will then be whittled down to four, and those four will also qualify to the World Cup.

World Cup qualifying draw pots

Pot 1
France
Spain
England
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Italy
Germany
Croatia
Switzerland
Denmark
Austria

Pot 2
Ukraine
Sweden
Türkiye
Wales
Hungary
Serbia
Poland
Romania
Greece
Slovakia
Czechia
Norway

Pot 3
Scotland
Slovenia
Republic of Ireland
Albania
North Macedonia
Georgia
Finland
Iceland
Northern Ireland
Montenegro
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Israel

Pot 4
Bulgaria
Luxembourg
Belarus
Kosovo
Armenia
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan
Estonia
Cyprus
Faroe Islands
Latvia
Lithuania

Pot 5
Moldova
Malta
Andorra
Gibraltar
Liechtenstein
San Marino