England and Wales have guaranteed second chance to qualify

England begins its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign tonight at Wembley Stadium against Albania. The team is a strong favorite to win Group K, which includes Albania, Latvia, Serbia, and Andorra. This qualifying process is different from previous years because FIFA has expanded the tournament to 48 teams. Europe will now send 16 teams to the World Cup, an increase from 13. There are 12 qualifying groups: six groups with four teams and six groups with five teams. The groups were affected by the outcomes of this week’s Nations League A quarter-finals, which will determine the top seeds. The group stages for the qualifying matches will run from tonight until November. Only the winners of the 12 groups will qualify automatically for the World Cup. The runners-up will have another chance by competing in play-offs with the four best non-qualifiers from the Nations League. England and Wales both won their Nations League groups, giving them a good chance of still qualifying for the World Cup even if they do not finish in the top two of their group. The tournament expansion gives Africa nine automatic slots, up from five. Asia also sees an increase, now having eight spots instead of four. Six teams from South America will qualify, an increase from four. Additionally, teams from Oceania have a direct route to the finals for the first time. The USA, Canada, and Mexico will qualify automatically as hosts. Three more slots will be available for teams in the Concacaf region. The last two World Cup spots will be decided through a play-off involving teams from different regions, excluding UEFA. England will play their next match against Latvia on Monday, followed by a trip to Andorra in June.