On Friday, the DFB team's opponents will be drawn on their way to the 2026 finals. SPORT1 has all the information about the group draw and reveals where you can watch the World Cup qualification draw live.
The groups for European qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico (June 11 to July 19) will be drawn on Friday (12 noon) at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
World Cup qualification: How to see your group draw LIVE today on TV, stream, ticker
- TV: Sky sports news
- Live stream: skysport.de and fifa.com
+++ UPDATE HERE +++
+++ The World Cup qualification groups at a glance +++
Group A: Winner VF 4, Slovakia
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden
Group C: Loser VF 3, Greece
Group D: Winner VF 2, Ukraine
Group E: Winner VF 1, Türkiye
Group F: Winner VF 3, Hungary
Group G: Loser VF 1, Poland
Group H: Austria, Romania
+++ What we already know +++
Germany could also face Slovakia in Group A with an official win against Italy – or against Norway around starting striker Erling Haaland (Manchester City) in the event of a defeat in Group I.
+++ Group heads are now fixed +++
Exciting question about what happens next.
+++ The balls are mixed +++
Let's go! Now the first teams will be drawn. And football icons such as Robert Pires, Ariane Hingst, Fernando Llorente, Gianluca Zambrotta and Rachel Yankey act as lottery fairies. And the first draw could directly affect Germany: the winner of the fourth quarter-final is the group head of season A.
The four quarter-finals of the Nations League at a glance: Quarterfinals 1 contest the Netherlands and Spain, Quarterfinals 2 Croatia and France, Quarterfinals 3 Denmark and Portugal and Quarterfinals 4 Germany and Italy.
+++ Again for explanation +++
Placeholders will be drawn instead of the Nations League quarter-finalists, which include Germany. The final opponents will only be determined after the quarter-finals in the Nations League; the outcome of the round of the last eight will then decide which season the nation ends up in. In the overview above, the placeholders are abbreviated as “Winner VF” and “Loser VF”.
+++ Raised big – not just on stage +++
Infantino also welcomed all national coaches and officials in the room. It is logical that the German Football Association around DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and national coach Julian Nagelsmann are also represented. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is also from the party. And on top of that there is a goosebumps video trailer that should whet your appetite for the mammoth tournament – including a look back at the World Cup history.
+++ FIFA boss with bold words +++
Gianni Infantino is once again in his element and promises an “incredible and emotional tournament”. No trace of modesty: “It will be the biggest World Cup to date.” Well then…
+++ The World Cup qualifying draw pots at a glance +++
- Pot 1: GermanyFrance, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria
- Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway
- Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, 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
+++ It's about to start +++
The tension is rising! It starts here in just a few moments! Presenter Semra Hunter enters the stage. Stay tuned and have fun with it SPORT1-Live ticker.
+++ How exactly will the World Cup qualification be lost? +++
First, all teams from pot 1 are assigned to the twelve groups A to L one after the other. Pots 2 to 5 follow, with each pot being completely emptied. Groups A to F will consist of four teams, G to L five. The twelve group winners qualify directly, the four remaining of the 16 European starting places are determined through playoffs. The twelve runners-up in the group and the four best-placed group winners from the Nations League who are not already qualified will play there.
How does the World Cup qualifying draw work?
During qualification, only the European participants in the World Cup will be drawn. The Nations League group phase also plays a role in the World Cup qualifying draw. The eight group winners of League A are placed in draw pot 1, all other nations are distributed among the pots based on their positioning in the world rankings.
+++ Can it get any more complicated than that? +++
Indeed! Because of the quarter-finals of the Nations League, which will be held for the first time, in which Germany will meet Italy in March, wild cards will be drawn. This means: After the draw, it will only be clear which opponents the DFB team will face in each case – if they win against Italy, they will play in a group of four determined in Zurich, and if they lose, in a group of five.
+++ When does the DFB team play their games? +++
The group stage of the World Cup qualification begins in March and lasts until November 2025, the playoffs will take place in March 2026. The groups of five start in March, the groups of four only in September 2025 – after the quarter-finals (March) and the final four (June) in the Nations League. The qualifying schedules will be published on Friday evening.
With Sports Information Service (SID)
