England’s path to World Cup 2026 becomes clear with qualifying pots confirmed and chance of tricky meeting with rivals
ENGLAND are set to be among the top seeds for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after securing their return to Nations League A.
But new boss Thomas Tuchel could potentially face a nightmare encounter with a Home Nations rival as he prepares to guide the Three Lions to the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
After a successful Nations League campaign under interim boss Lee Carsley, England have since been placed into qualifying Pot 1.
Each of the Nations League quarter-finalists have also earned an automatic spot in Pot 1.
That means Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Euro winners Spain will be among the highest-seeded teams.
They have been joined by the four next highest ranking sides in the Fifa Men’s world list: England, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.
So, for now, England will avoid being grouped with all of the top-listed sides in Pot 1, as no two teams from the same pot can end up in the same group.
However, Tuchel faces being placed in the same qualifying group as some of England’s closest rivals.
Wales will be in Pot 2 after topping their Nations League group to earn promotion to League A.
And England could also be grouped with one of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland in Pot 3.
What are the World Cup European Qualifying pots?
Pot 1
- Spain
- Germany
- Portugal
- France
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Croatia
- England
- Belgium
- Switzerland
- Austria
Pot 2
- Ukraine
- Sweden
- Turkey
- Wales
- Hungary
- Serbia
- Poland
- Greece
- Romania
- 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
- Kosovo
- Belarus
- Armenia
- Kazakhstan
- Azerbaijan
- Estonia
- Cyprus
- Faroe Islands
- Latvia
- Lithuania
Pot 5
- Moldova
- Malta
- Andorra
- Gibraltar
- Liechtenstein
- San Marino
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
Three Lions could face any of their rival Home Nations teams in the qualifying group stage.
England face a 25 per cent chance of being in a four-team group, which means they are more likely to be placed in a five-team group.
The latter is the worse of the two scenarios for Tuchel because it means starting qualifying in March.
The German wouldn’t be able to ease into the job with a couple of friendlies during that March international break as his first two games would count towards qualifying for the World Cup.
Carsley successfully led them back into the Nations League‘s top tier with two convincing victories, over Greece and Ireland, in his final games in charge.
England won their group in League B which means they are promoted automatically to League A and are not involved in the next stage of the Nations League.
By finishing top of Group B2, England are extremely likely to have a World Cup play-off spot banked, with the same situation facing Group B4 winners Wales.
The Three Lions will be among those drawn into 12 groups of four or five teams on December 13.
Following England’s 5-0 win over Ireland, Tuchel has avoided a promotion play-off as his first assignment.
This means he will embark on a fresh Qualifying campaign for the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026.
How do the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers work?
A total of 16 Uefa nations will compete at the tournament – an increase of three from the previous edition in 2022.
The European Qualifiers are scheduled to begin in March 2025 and end with the play-offs precisely a year later.
Teams will play each other home and away.
Nations drawn in groups of five will start Qualifying in March and sides drawn in groups of four start their campaigns in September.
All groups conclude in November 2025.
The 12 group winners qualify directly, with the four remaining berths determined by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up.
Due to the Nations League play-offs in March, it means only four groups will be complete as of December 13.
Forgotten England stars could benefit from Tuchel appointment
WITH Thomas Tuchel announced as the next England manager, a few forgotten stars might be hopeful of a return to the international set up.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager usually uses a 3-4-3 formation.
That could provide an opening for Mason Mount, who’s not been involved in the England set-up since the World Cup in 2022.
The now Manchester United star enjoyed his most successful spell under Tuchel while the pair were at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel could also offer lifelines to other previously capped players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Eric Dier.
RLC has excelled since his move to AC Milan and with England struggling to find a partner for Rice, he could be the surprise answer.
Meanwhile, Dier played for Tuchel at Bayern Munich as part of a back-three last season.
The defender did enough to convince the club to make his loan move permanent after he had fallen out of favour at Tottenham.
Click here to see the full England XI who could play under Tuchel.
