Road to North America 2026: Your guide to the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Remember the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022?? Of course you do – that crazy final between Argentina and France was only a few months ag… ah. The time has flown by in its usual way, and now it’s only just over nine months till the start of the next World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City.

But there’s a lot of football still to be played between now and then, not least the World Cup qualifiers! And this weekend the European qualifiers get fully under way across the continent, including the groups whose starts were delayed by the UEFA Nations League finals in early summer. All four countries of the UK are in action during this international break and with 16 qualification slots available to teams from Europe, all four will have hopes of making it to the finals, making every game crucial.

So while it can be tempting to dismiss this international interlude as an irritating disruption to the fledgling domestic season – we’ve all been guilty of it – it’s much more rewarding to remember how much you love the World Cup, and get excited about the qualifiers! Here’s our guide to what’s happening over the coming week, what it means for the UK nations and what to look out for in these crunch matches.

Current status: Top of Group K after three wins from three.

This week’s opposition: Andorra made things difficult for England when they hosted the Three Lions at Barcelona’s RCDE Stadium in June, restricting them to a narrow win with a single goal from skipper Harry Kane. But at home – even in the unusual surroundings of Villa Park, thanks to a clash with Coldplay’s 10-night run of shows at Wembley – England will surely have no problem dispatching an opposition who have only ever won four World Cup qualifying games.

Serbia are a different prospect. The second-ranked team in the group are perennial dark horses capable of beating the top teams, and have a squad packed with talented players including former Newcastle and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović, Juventus forward Dušan Vlahović and Nottingham Forest defensive colossus Nikola Milenković. The welcome at Belgrade’s Red Star Stadium will be hostile to say the least. Coach Thomas Tuchel would probably be satisfied with a point, even if he doesn’t say it publicly.

Key players: New Arsenal signing Eberechi Eze is the player of the moment and will surely get a chance to press his claim to a starting spot, while Kane began the Bundesliga season in fine form with a hat-trick for Bayern against RB Leipzig. After an injury-hit period, Reece James was almost England’s forgotten man, but Tuchel – who coached him at Chelsea – has brought him back into the fold and he scored in March’s qualifier against Latvia. And could Barcelona new boy Marcus Rashford, freed from his Old Trafford torpor, have an impact?

England v Andorra
Saturday 6 September, 4pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

Serbia v England
Tuesday 9 September, 7pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

Current status: Second in Group J with seven points from four games.

This week’s opposition: Kazakhstan were Wales’s first opponents in this qualifying group and proved obliging ones as Craig Bellamy’s side eased to a 3-1 win. However, travelling more than 3,500 miles to the away tie in Astana is a different matter, and Bellamy will need his top players to be on song. The Kazakhs don’t have a glorious qualifying history and their squad is young, so it’s essential Wales pick up points here because they’re battling for the top two spots with Belgium (who have already beaten them in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss, after Wales came back from 3-0 down) and the strongly emerging North Macedonia.

Next up it’s a friendly against World Cup 2026 co-hosts Canada in Swansea, who will give Wales a good test with stars including Juventus’s Jonathan David and Union Saint-Gilloise’s Promise David (no relation).

Key players: Brennan Johnson has had a great start to the season with high-flying Spurs and, of course, scored the winning goal in the Europa League final a few months ago. Although Harry Wilson hasn’t always held down a starting spot for Fulham, these days everything creative goes through him for Wales, and the pace of Leeds’s Daniel James is important too. Forwards Kieffer Moore and Nathan Broadhead will be forming a potentially prolific partnership at Wrexham this season.

Kazakhstan v Wales
Thursday 4 September, 2.30pm, S4C HD (CH 104/164) + Apps > BBC iPlayer + 2.45pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Wales v Canada
Tuesday 9 September, 7.30pm, S4C HD (CH 104/164) + BBC Three HD (CH 107/113)

Current status: Scotland were drawn in Group C with UEFA Nations League quarter-finalists Denmark, so their qualifying campaign hasn’t started yet.

This week’s opposition: Denmark lost to Portugal in that quarter-final and didn’t progress further. It’s fair to say Scotland will be relatively pleased to have drawn the Danes rather than the likes of Spain or France, although starting the group with the toughest away match could make it an uphill battle. Denmark have a sprinkling of Premier League stars like Joachim Andersen, Mikkel Damsgaard, Matt O’Riley and Patrick Dorgu, while experienced keeper Kasper Schmeichel is currently the Celtic No1.

Belarus are the group’s lowest-ranked team and won’t even have the benefit of home advantage, since they’re currently obliged to play outside their home nation owing to, let’s say, factors. Zalaegerszeg’s ZTE Arena in western Hungary is the venue, and this should provide Steve Clarke’s side with one of their best opportunities to pick up points in an unforgiving group that also includes Greece.

Key players: Serie A champion and Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or nominee Scott McTominay is obviously the main man, and has scored plenty of important goals for his country in recent years. In fact, much of Scotland’s creative impetus comes from Italy-based players including McTominay’s Napoli team-mate Billy Gilmour and Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson. Ipswich’s George Hirst could be the goalscorer they’ve needed, while skipper Andy Robertson is still a big presence.

Denmark v Scotland
Friday 5 September, 7.30pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

Belarus v Scotland
Monday 8 September, 7.30pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/113)

Current status: Like Scotland, they’re in a group that hasn’t kicked off yet – Group A.

This week’s opposition: If there’s a bad time to play Luxembourg, this is it. Europe’s long-standing minnows are in the best form in their history, with recent wins over Bosnia, Iceland and even Sweden. Northern Ireland fans won’t need reminding that they were held to a 2-2 draw on their last visit to Luxembourg City in November 2024 and, in a tough group, it’s vital they don’t make any mistakes this time.

Not least because the next game is a daunting trip to Germany, where Northern Ireland haven’t won since the heady days of 1983. Michael O’Neill’s squad is packed with promising young players who are developing well, but they will have to perform out of their skins to get anything from this match, even if Germany are missing the likes of Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz.

Key players: Sunderland defender Trai Hume is acquitting himself admirably so far in his first Premier League season, while Liverpool’s Conor Bradley is another defensive mainstay. There are high hopes for Shea Charles, who impressed on loan at Sheffield Wednesday last season and has been entrusted with anchoring Southampton’s midfield this term. Jamie Donley, registered to Spurs, made a big impact during his Leyton Orient loan in 2024/25 and is at Stoke this season, where he’s helped them to the top of the Championship.

Luxembourg v Northern Ireland
Thursday 4 September, 7.30pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/113)

Germany v Northern Ireland
Sunday 7 September, 7.30pm, Apps > BBC iPlayer