2026 World Cup Qualifiers Draw: Date, Time and Where to Watch. Italy Won't Know Their Opponents Right Away: Here's Why
Luciano Spalletti's team begins its journey towards the world championship tournament that will be played in the USA, Mexico and Canada in Zurich
The Azzurri are hunting for the pass to the 2026 World Cup
Rome, 12 December 2024 - The road towards the Soccer World Cup 2026, which will be played from 11 June to 19 July in United States, Canada and Mexico. Friday at 12 in Zurich is scheduled the draw for the qualifying groups: Italy, absent in the last two editions (Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022), cannot miss the appointment this time. The Azzurri of Spalletti are seeded and therefore they will avoid all the big European teams in the group, but there are always pitfalls around the corner. And as the past teaches, it will be necessary to put maximum concentration on the field. There are 54 national teams - divided into five bands - ready to compete the 16 steps available to the Old Continent for the 2026 World Cup. The regulation is rather complex, let's try to clarify a bit about it new format and on the qualification criteria.