Reasons why Russia was eliminated

Accordingly, the Russian team has submitted an application to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. But the application was not accepted, because they are still banned from participating in all tournaments of the world football body (FIFA) and Europe (UEFA) since February 2022 until now.

The Russian team (in white) in a friendly match with the Vietnamese team in September.

As a result, just like in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Russia was eliminated early from the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The European region now has 54 qualified teams, instead of 55 as before, competing for 16 places in the final round.

The results of the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in Europe are as follows:

Group A: Winner of UEFA Nations League quarter-final between Germany and Italy , Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.

Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.

Group C: UEFA Nations League quarter-final losers between Portugal and Denmark , Greece, Scotland, Belarus.

Group D: Winner of UEFA Nations League quarter-final between France and Croatia , Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.

Group E: Winner of UEFA Nations League quarter-final between Spain and Netherlands , Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria.

Group F: Winner of UEFA Nations League quarter-final between Portugal and Denmark , Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia.

Group G: UEFA Nations League quarter-final losers between Spain and Netherlands , Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.

Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group I: UEFA Nations League quarter-final losers between Germany and Italy , Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.

Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.

Group L: UEFA Nations League quarter-final losers between France and Croatia , Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.

The Italian team, after failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, was drawn into either Group A or Group I, depending on the results of the two UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches against Germany in March 2025.

However, it can be seen that the winning team will have an advantage, because Group A has 4 teams and the opponents are easier, while Group I has 5 teams, in which the Norwegian team with 2 stars Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard will be very formidable.

Coach Luciano Spalletti and his team have been playing quite impressively recently, rising to 9th place in the FIFA rankings and reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League 2024-2025 season (against Germany), and are expected to win the group to return to the 2026 World Cup.

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti

Similarly, the World Cup runner-up, France, also needs to beat Croatia to stay in Group D with 4 teams. If they lose, coach Didier Deschamps and his team will have to play in Group L with 5 teams, which will be very difficult. Meanwhile, England with new coach Thomas Tuchel will face many challenges in Group K with 5 teams, and Serbia will have a very difficult time competing for the top spot in the group.

The 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe, with 6 groups of 5 teams (from Group G to Group L) will compete from March 2025. The remaining 6 groups of 4 teams from Group A to Group F will play their first match from September 2025.

The teams will play each other in a round-robin format, with each team playing home and away matches. The top 12 teams in each group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the 12 group runners-up and the four best-performing teams based on their final rankings in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League will advance to the play-offs for the remaining four spots.

The European play-off round for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will take place in March 2026, with 16 teams divided into four groups, paired off to play semi-finals and finals. The four winners of the four groups will qualify for the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ket-qua-boc-tham-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-chau-au-ly-do-doi-nga-bi-loai-185241213192629478.htm