2026 World Cup Bubble Watch: No surprises in Europe’s qualifiers, however March outcomes set early tone

(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports activities illustration)

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European World Cup qualifying soft-launched in March. It will not kick into full gear till September, however six of the 12 teams — those with 5 groups, versus 4 — are underway.

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So far, there have been no surprises. England took six factors from its first two video games. The remainder of the highest seeds will be part of the fray in June and September. In complete, 16 European international locations will qualify, probably the most from any single confederation ever.

World Cup berths: 16

World Cup qualifying format: Europe’s 54 eligible nations had been cut up into 12 teams of 4 or 5 groups apiece. After a double spherical robin, the winner of every group qualifies for the World Cup. The runners-up, plus , go to playoffs — the place they’d should win two knockout matches to assert certainly one of Europe’s final 4 World Cup spots.

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Europe 2026 World Cup qualifying bubble

Certified: NoneConfident: Spain, France, England, Germany, PortugalBubble: Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland, Wales, Serbia, Scotland, Slovakia, Northern Eire, Turkey, Georgia, Hungary, Eire, Slovenia, Greece, Ukraine, Iceland, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Israel, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, MontenegroLong photographs: Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Belarus, Armenia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Cyprus, Moldova, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Faroe Islands, GibraltarEliminated: NoneBanned: Russia

Greatest winners of the March qualifiers in Europe

Winner: Norway — In maybe probably the most consequential sport of the March window, Norway put 4 previous Israel on Tuesday. It additionally trounced Moldova, and introduced itself because the challenger to Italy in Group I.

Winner: Bosnia and Herzegovina — A 1-0 win at Romania gave the Bosnians an early leg up in Group H. Austria remains to be favored to prime that quintet, however Bosnia established itself as a contender — maybe for the highest spot, and positively for a playoff place.

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