Türkiye eye 2026 World Cup as European qualifiers kick off
Turkish players celebrate a goal during the Nations League match against Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Oct. 14, 2024. (DHA Photo)


The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers, set to take place across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, will be held on Friday.

Türkiye, placed in Pot 2, will learn their group during the draw at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

A total of 54 countries will participate in the draw, which will determine 12 groups – six with five teams and six with four teams.

Türkiye will be placed in a four-team group due to their play-off match with Hungary in March for promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League.

The first matches in the five-team groups will begin in March, while the four-team groups will start their campaigns in September.

Each country will play every other team in their group twice, home and away, with the European qualifiers concluding in November 2025.

Pot allocation

According to FIFA, the European qualifying pots are as follows:

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, Czech Republic, 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.

Certain teams will not be drawn in the same groups due to UEFA regulations: