World Cup 2026 qualifiers permutations: Can all four home nations qualify?
Radio Times breaks down how all four home nations can still qualify for World Cup 2026.
All four home nations could still qualify for World Cup 2026.
The final night of fixtures in the qualification groups certainly delivered on drama, particularly in a rollercoaster clash at Hampden Park, and there will be more to come in next year's play-offs.
16 European nations will battle it out to reach next summer's tournament in North America – only four will see their World Cup dreams realised and the other 12 will face heartbreak.
England and Scotland have already reached the promised land while Northern Ireland and Wales could be two wins away from joining them.
RadioTimes.com brings you all the details about how the home nations can qualify for the World Cup 2026.
England
England have qualified for World Cup 2026 after topping Group K.
Thomas Tuchel's side won all eight of their games in the group – scoring 22 times without conceding a goal – with Albania securing second spot.
They will have to wait until the World Cup draw on Friday 5th December 2025 to discover who they will be grouped with.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland finished third in Group A, three points back from second-place Slovakia and six behind leaders Germany.
However, their success in the last Nations League campaign means they have secured a place for the play-offs.
They will be in Pot 4 for the draw on Thursday 20th November, meaning they will play away at a team from the highest-ranked pot in their play-off semi-final.
Scotland
Scotland are heading to their first World Cup in 28 years after finishing first in Group C.
Steve Clarke's side beat Denmark 4-2 in one of the greatest nights in Hampden Park's history to beat their visitors to top spot and direct qualification for next summer's tournament.
They will have to wait until the World Cup draw on Friday 5th December 2025 to discover who they will be grouped with.
Wales
Wales thrashed North Macedonia 7-1 in their final match in Group J but Belgium's victory against Liechtenstein means that was only enough for second place.
They are heading into next March's World Cup play-offs as part of Pot 2, which means they will host one of the teams from Pot 3 in their semi-final.
Which other teams have qualified for the World Cup play-offs?
The 16-team line-up for next year's World Cup play-offs, which will take place in the international break at the end of March 2026, has now been confirmed.
They will be split into four pots. One team from each pot will be drawn into each of Path A, Path B, Path C, and Path D on Thursday 20th November.
Pot 1 includes the four highest-ranked teams, according to FIFA: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, and Ukraine.
They will host one of the teams from Pot 4, Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia, who qualified via the Nations League, in the semi-finals.
Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, and Slovakia are the four teams in Pot 2 and will host a team from Pot 3, which is made up of Republic of Ireland, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo.
The winners of the semi-finals in each path will meet in the final, with the winner earning a place at World Cup 2026.
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