EURO 2028 qualifying draw Date, pots & rules

The twelve groups of EURO 2028 qualifying are drawn in Belfast on 6 December 2026. After that every team knows its opponents for the qualifiers between March and November 2027 on the way to EURO 2028.

The draw at a glance

DateSunday, 6 December 2026
VenueBelfast (Northern Ireland)
Teams54 – every UEFA member except suspended Russia, including the four hosts
Groups12 groups – six of five and six of four teams
SeedingUEFA Nations League 2026/27 ranking after the league phase (November 2026)
MatchdaysMarch to November 2027, play-offs in March 2028

The pots

The pots are set once the league phase of the 2026/27 Nations League ends in November 2026: the twelve best-ranked teams go into pot 1, the next twelve into pot 2 and so on. The pots will appear here as soon as UEFA announces them. For the current strength of the teams see the FIFA world ranking for Europe.

The draw rules

Each group gets one team from each pot. For political reasons UEFA always keeps certain pairings apart – they cannot be drawn into the same group. UEFA also limits, per group, the number of teams with winter-risk venues and of pairings with very long travel.

Pairings kept apart
Armenia –
Azerbaijan
Gibraltar –
Spain
Kosovo –
Serbia
Kosovo –
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Ukraine –
Belarus

Germany, Austria and Switzerland

All three teams play in qualifying. Their group, opponents and dates are on the team pages after the draw:

Questions about the draw

When is the EURO 2028 qualifying draw?

The groups are drawn on Sunday, 6 December 2026, in Belfast.

How are the pots decided?

By the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 ranking at the end of the league phase in November 2026 – twelve teams per pot.

How many teams qualify directly for EURO 2028?

The twelve group winners and the eight best runners-up. Two places are reserved for hosts, the rest are decided in the play-offs in March 2028.

Do hosts England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland play in qualifying?

Yes. They do not qualify automatically, but two places are reserved for them if they miss out on direct qualification.

As of October 29, 2026. Open points will be added as soon as UEFA publishes them.

› Back to Euro 2028