England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland now know their paths to the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the European qualifying draw, which has set up intriguing challenges for the home nations.
England will compete in a five-team Group K, featuring Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra. The group pits England against familiar opponents, including Serbia, whom they defeated during the Euro 2024 group stages with a header from Jude Bellingham under Gareth Southgate’s management. England also has history with Albania, having beaten them in qualifiers for the 2002 and 2022 World Cups, and Andorra, who they comprehensively defeated 9-0 on aggregate in 2022 qualifying. Latvia, however, represents a new challenge, as the two nations have never met before. England, now led by Thomas Tuchel, will begin their campaign in March 2025.
Scotland finds itself in a challenging four-team Group C alongside Greece, Belarus, and the loser of the Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark. Steve Clarke’s side also has a separate task ahead in March 2025 when they face Greece in a two-legged tie to determine whether they remain in the top tier of the Nations League. Scotland’s World Cup qualifying campaign will officially kick off in September 2025.
Wales has been drawn in Group J, a five-team pool featuring Belgium, Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. This group reignites memories of Wales’ famous Euro 2016 victory over Belgium, though head coach Craig Bellamy acknowledged the difficulty of the task. “It’s a good group. We’ll need to do our homework and attack the challenge to finish on top,” he said. Wales’ campaign will start in March 2025.
Northern Ireland faces a daunting test in Group A, which includes either Germany or Italy, depending on the result of their Nations League quarter-final, as well as Slovakia and Luxembourg. The group will commence in September 2025, and Northern Ireland will be eager to prove themselves against some of Europe’s toughest teams.
The Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, has been drawn in Group F alongside Hungary, Armenia, and the winner of the Portugal-Denmark Nations League quarter-final. Like Northern Ireland, they will start their qualifying campaign in September 2025.
With a mix of familiar rivals, new challenges, and historic matchups, the road to the 2026 World Cup promises to be a compelling journey for all the home nations.
