ZURICH: The eagerly anticipated UEFA Preliminary draws for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are scheduled to take place this Friday in Zurich. The draw will determine the groupings for the UEFA qualifying stage, involving 12 groups of either four or five teams, with matches commencing in March and concluding by November next year. Group winners will secure direct entry to the World Cup, while further spots will be decided through a series of play-offs in 2026. According to Anadolu Agency, the play-off phase will involve a 16-team contest in March 2026. This phase will feature the 12 runners-up from the group stage, alongside the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League 2024-25 group winners. These Nations League group winners must neither have qualified directly as group winners nor entered the play-offs as group runners-up. Pot allocations for the draw have been revealed, with Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland being placed in Pot 1. Pot 2 will consist of Ukraine, Sweden, Trkiye, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Czechia, and Norway. Scotland leads Pot 3, joined by Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Israel. The draw also includes Pot 4 with Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Belarus, Kosovo, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Greek Cypriot Administration, Faroe Islands, Latvia, and Lithuania; Pot 5 comprises Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, and San Marino. In line with UEFA Executive Board decisions, certain teams such as Gibraltar/Spain, Kosovo/Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo/Serbia, Ukraine/Belarus, and Iceland/Faroe Islands will not be placed in the same group. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off on June 11 with the opening match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.