On Friday, December 13, Cyprus’s national football team will learn its opponents for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers during the draw to be held at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, starting at 1:00 PM.
According to the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), 54 UEFA member nations will participate in the draw, with 16 securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The tournament will feature 48 teams for the first time, an increase from the 32 teams in recent tournaments since 1998. As a result, the number of European representatives qualifying for the World Cup will rise from 13 to 16.
Qualifying Format
The 54 UEFA member nations will be drawn into 12 qualifying groups. Six groups will consist of five teams, and the other six groups will include four teams each.
- The 12 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup.
- The 12 second-placed teams, along with the four best Nations League group winners who did not finish first or second in their World Cup qualifying groups, will compete in play-offs in March 2026 to determine the final four European qualifiers.
Draw Pots
The 54 nations have been divided into five seeding pots, which will be finalised and officially announced by UEFA on November 28. Cyprus is in Pot 4 and cannot be drawn against other teams in the same pot.
Current seeding pots (subject to final confirmation):
- Pot 1: Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, 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 & Herzegovina, Israel.
- Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Lithuania.
- Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.
Match Dates
The 2026 World Cup qualifiers will begin in March 2025 and conclude in November 2025. The play-offs will take place in March 2026. Groups with five teams will start their matches in March, while groups with four teams will begin in September.
Available match dates:
- 17–25 March 2025
- 2–10 June 2025
- 1–9 September 2025
- 6–14 October 2025
- 10–18 November 2025
Also read: The national men’s team continues preparations, Coreia called up
Source: CNA
