Overview
- League A groups are A1: Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Serbia; A2: France, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Ireland; A3: Spain, England, Iceland, Ukraine; A4: Germany, Norway, Austria, Slovenia.
- Only the four League A group winners qualify directly for Brazil 2027, with the remaining League A teams moving into seeded European playoffs.
- Home-and-away group matches will run across March, April and June 2026, followed by two playoff rounds scheduled for October and December 2026.
- Ireland reached League A by beating Belgium in a Nations League playoff and retain a guaranteed playoff route if they do not win their group.
- UEFA will send 11 teams to the World Cup through groups and playoffs, with one additional European side able to qualify via the inter-confederation playoff in early 2027.