World Cup - Qualification Europe 2024/25

The UEFA qualification for the FIFA World Cup is the tournament that determines which European national teams reach the global championship. Unlike the permanent structure of the UEFA European Championship, this competition is an ad-hoc cycle organized for each World Cup. It sits at the top level of European international football, serving as the gateway to the FIFA World Cup. Currently, all 55 UEFA member associations participate in the process.

For the 2026 cycle, the format involves twelve groups with varying sizes, playing home-and-away round-robin matches. The twelve group winners qualify directly for the finals. The remaining four spots are determined by play-offs involving sixteen teams. These include the twelve runners-up and the four best-ranked Nations League group winners that did not finish in the top two of their qualifying groups. These play-offs consist of four single-leg paths, a key distinction from the two-legged ties often used in Euro play-offs.

The 2026 cycle marks a major expansion to sixteen European spots due to the World Cup expanding to forty-eight teams. Historically, Germany holds the record for the most successful qualification campaign, having qualified for every World Cup since 1954. Spain holds the record for the longest consecutive qualification streak among active UEFA nations, reaching thirteen consecutive tournaments as of 2026. The modern play-off system for runners-up was introduced in 1990, evolving from earlier cycles that generally had no play-offs for the last spots.