The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been laid out for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland following the qualifying draw held in Zurich on Friday. Each nation now knows the challenges ahead as they vie for a spot in the tournament, set to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

England

Under the guidance of newly appointed manager Thomas Tuchel, England will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra in their group. With a blend of competitive and less formidable opponents, England will look to assert dominance and secure automatic qualification.

Wales

Wales finds itself in a group with familiar rivals Belgium, alongside North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. The clash with Belgium is expected to be a key fixture, as the Welsh aim to secure their place in the expanded tournament.

Scotland

Scotland faces Greece, Belarus, and the loser of the Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark. The Scots also have a separate challenge in March, with a two-legged Nations League promotion-relegation play-off against Greece, providing an early taste of their group dynamics.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has been drawn alongside Slovakia, Luxembourg, and the winner of the Nations League quarter-final between Germany and Italy. With a compact group, every match will carry added significance as they aim to contend for qualification.

The Qualifying Format

The qualifiers will take place during five international breaks between March and November 2025. The winner of each of the 12 groups will automatically secure a place in the 2026 World Cup, while the second-placed teams will advance to the play-offs. From Europe, a total of 16 teams will qualify for the tournament.

For Scotland and Northern Ireland, who are in four-team groups, the qualifying games will begin in September 2025. Until then, both teams have a critical focus on their Nations League campaigns, which could set the tone for their qualification journey.

Li Tie, the former coach of China’s national men’s football team and a former Premier League player for Everton, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery. Chinese state media reports that Li admitted to accepting and offering bribes, as well as match-fixing, during his career.

Li’s sentencing marks a significant moment in President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted sectors including sports, banking, and the military. Earlier this week, three former Chinese Football Association (CFA) officials were also convicted of bribery, bringing the total to over a dozen coaches and players investigated.

From 2015 to 2021, Li reportedly accepted over $16 million in bribes, starting as an assistant coach for Hebei China Fortune Club and continuing through his tenure as national coach. In return, he favored certain players for the national team and helped clubs secure victories in competitions.

In a state-televised anti-corruption documentary aired earlier this year, Li publicly apologized for his actions, saying, “I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path. There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football.”

Li, who led China’s national team from January 2020 to December 2021, had been a celebrated figure in Chinese football, making 92 appearances for the national team and playing at the country’s only World Cup finals in 2002.

This scandal follows the earlier conviction of former CFA president Chen Xuyuan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for accepting $11 million in bribes.

President Xi Jinping’s vision to make China a global football powerhouse, including aspirations to host and win a World Cup, has faced repeated setbacks. The detentions and convictions of football leaders, some of whom were responsible for driving reforms, mirror a similar anti-graft campaign in 2010 when several players, referees, and officials were jailed for corruption.

Author and grassroots football advocate Rowan Simons described the current crackdown as reminiscent of the 2010 efforts, remarking, “It looks exactly the same as it was 10 years ago with a different set of characters.”

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has apologized for his recent comments criticizing the club’s owners following the team’s 4-3 loss to Chelsea. In an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes, Romero expressed frustration over the club’s lack of investment, stating, “Something is going wrong, hopefully, they [the board] realize it.”

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou addressed the issue, stating that Romero acknowledged his remarks were not entirely appropriate. “He realizes a lot of what he said was good, but some wasn’t the right way of dealing with it,” Postecoglou said. “It shows he cares, but there’s a way to do it, and this wasn’t it.”

Romero’s comments came after a challenging match against Chelsea, in which Tottenham lost despite leading 2-0. The Argentine defender, along with teammate Micky van de Ven, returned to the lineup but both suffered injuries during the game. Romero was substituted in the 15th minute, while Van de Ven exited 11 minutes from the end.

Both players will miss Tottenham’s upcoming Europa League clash against Rangers at Ibrox, and their return timelines remain uncertain. “We’re still getting some clarity around the prognosis,” Postecoglou said. “It’s disappointing because we’re pretty thin on numbers and have been dealing with that for a while.”

Adding to the team’s challenges, midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, currently serving a domestic suspension for a racial slur against teammate Son Heung-min, will be available for the Europa League fixture.