World Cup 2026 draw: Everything you need to know including Ireland's potential opponents and TV channel details
Ireland will learn their World Cup opponents for 2026, while FIFA have introduced some drastic format changes.
The World Cup qualifying draw takes place this Friday, and Ireland are set to learn about their opponents for next year's qualifying campaign.
FIFA has introduced some major changes for the 2026 World Cup, expanding the tournament from the traditional 32 teams to 48.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico have already secured their place as hosts for the tournament.
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But does the new format increase Ireland's chances, and who can they draw? Here is everything you need to know.
Format Change
As mentioned, FIFA has expanded the tournament from 32 teams to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup.
Europe traditionally sends 13 teams to the tournament, and that number has now been bumped up to 16 teams.
The draw, which takes place tomorrow, will have 12 groups. Each group consists of either four or five teams, and the group winner stamps their ticket to the World Cup. There are still four places up for grabs, with the 12 runner-ups and four next-best-ranked Nations League teams all competing in a play-off.
When is the draw?
The draw takes place tomorrow at 11 am. It will take place at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland.
How can I tune in?
RTE will broadcast live coverage on the RTE Player and RTE News Now channels. There will be live updates on the Irish Mirror too so make sure to check out our Sports section.
Who can Ireland draw?
Ireland will be drawn out of Pot 3 due to their UEFA rankings. Below are pots 1-5 (excluding Pot 3)
Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria
Pot 2: Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czechia and Norway
Pot 4: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia and Lithuania.
Pot 5: Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein and San Marino
Group numbers
Things are rarely straightforward when the Nations League comes into it. With Ireland taking on Bulgaria in a relegation play-off next March, it means it is likely they will be drawn in a four-team group rather than a five-team group.
UEFA has limited the number of teams in a group involved in Nations League finals and play-offs to just one, meaning there are plenty of moving parts when it comes to who Ireland can draw.
If Ireland are put in a four-team group they can draw any of the top-seeded teams. However, with the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals still to be played, our opponents could be based on the outcome of these matches.
For example, Ireland could be drawn against the Nations League quarter-final winner 1 (in this case, either the Netherlands or Spain) but will not know who exactly they will play until that tie is decided in March.
When do the qualifiers take place?
The qualifiers run across all either four or five international windows in 2025. Five team groups get their campaign underway in March and also play in June, while a four-team group will compete in September, October, and November international windows.
If Ireland makes a World Cup play-off, it will take place at the end of March 2026.
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