Albania will learn their opponents in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers today, with the draw set to take place at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich at 12:00 (CET).
The Albanian national team has been placed in Pot 3 for the draw, alongside teams such as Scotland, Slovenia, and North Macedonia. The full breakdown of the pots is as follows:
Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria
Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, 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
The 12 groups for the qualifiers will be made up of four and five teams, with each pot being kept separate to avoid teams from the same pot facing each other. As a result, Albania could be drawn into a group with either Serbia or Kosovo. The matches will follow a home-and-away format.
The qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup are scheduled to begin in March 2025, with the play-off phase set for March 2026.
The top-ranked teams from the UEFA Nations League, as well as the second and third-place finishers who compete for promotion and relegation between leagues, will be in groups with four teams, forming Groups A-F.
How many European teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
A total of 16 UEFA teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The 12 group winners will secure automatic qualification, while the remaining four spots will be decided through play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up.
How do the play-offs work for the 2026 World Cup?
The 12 group runners-up will join the four best third-place teams from the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League, provided they did not finish first or second in their qualification groups, in the play-offs.
These 16 teams will be drawn into four play-off groups, with the matches taking place in a semi-final and final format, all within the same international window in March 2026.
