World Cup qualifying draw seedings in Europe completed by Slovakia, Czech wins in Nations League

ZURICH (AP) - The draw seedings for 2026 World Cup qualifying groups in Europe were decided Tuesday when the last round of Nations League games saw Slovakia and the Czech Republic secure a higher status.

FIFA makes the draw on Dec. 13 in Zurich for the 12 European qualifying groups. The 12 first-place teams next November advance directly to the tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Four more entries are decided in playoffs.

The 12 top-seeded nations were already known before the games on Tuesday. Those are the eight Nations League quarterfinalists, plus four more teams ranked highest by FIFA, including England.

Slovakia's 1-0 win over Estonia and the Czechs beating Georgia 2-1 ensured they would complete the pot of second-seeded teams, which comprises the next 12 highest in FIFA ranking.

Those results pushed Scotland down into pot 3, where it risks landing in a tougher group as it seeks qualifying for a first World Cup since 1998.

Europe has 16 entries in the first 48-team World Cup and the other four places will be decided by playoff knockout brackets in March 2026.

The 16 playoff teams will be the 12 runners-up in the World Cup qualifying groups, plus four teams that finished top of a Nations League group this week. They could include Northern Ireland, Moldova and San Marino.

The FIFA draw next month is unusually complex and lacking clarity on the day because the eight Nations League quarterfinalists will be placeholders. Their precise placing will be decided after the two-leg quarterfinals are played on March 20 and 23.

The 54-team draw will allocate six groups of four teams and six groups of five teams. The bigger groups can start in March or June.

Places in four-team qualifying groups must be reserved for the four teams that advance to the Nations League Final Four in June. Those World Cup groups can only start play in September.

Russia, the 55th UEFA member federation, has been banned from international soccer during the military invasion of Ukraine.

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World Cup qualifying groups draw seedings:

Pot 1: Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria.

Pot 2: Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.

Port 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Israel.

Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faeroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.

Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.