+ How the World Championship qualification works
Europe has 16 of the total 48 places in the football World Championship in the USA, Canada, and Mexico in the summer of 2026. The twelve group winners in the qualification get a direct place. The twelve second-place finishers play in the spring a playoff for the last four places and then get company from four nations that won their group in the Nations League (NL) the previous spring. It's about four NL group winners who failed to finish first or second in their World Championship qualification group.
+ Can still win the group
Sweden has one point and is already five points behind Switzerland, but the hope of winning the group still lives on. Next, Switzerland is waiting on Strawberry Arena tonight. On Monday, Sweden will face Kosovo in Gothenburg. The World Championship qualification ends with an away match against Switzerland (November 15, Geneva) and a home match against Slovenia (November 18, Solna).
Winning all the remaining matches is guaranteed to overtake Switzerland in the table. If Sweden loses more points in the qualification, it will be even harder to finish first.
+ Second place and playoff
Sweden's chance of at least taking a second place in the group can still be considered relatively good. Not least since Blågult plays three of their four remaining matches at home.
It may be enough to win against Kosovo (three points) and Slovenia (one point) to become group runners-up and thus be guaranteed to play the World Championship playoff in March.
+ Third or fourth place and playoff
If Sweden continues to fail in the autumn qualification, there is, at best, a last lifeline thanks to the Nations League.
Blågult was ranked as the tenth best NL group winner, but only four get to play the playoff. This means that at least six of the better-ranked NL winners must finish top two in their World Championship qualification group for the lifeline to be available to Sweden.
Already during the upcoming World Championship gathering, the lifeline can be secured. Norway, England, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Czech Republic can already secure a direct place in the World Championship or at least a second place in their groups. The other NL winners ranked before Sweden are Germany, Wales, and Romania.
+ How the playoff works
In the playoff, the 16 teams are drawn into four paths where semifinals and finals are played, both in single matches. The highest-ranked team plays at home. The venue for the final is drawn. Both matches are played in March.
+ The second place is important anyway
Even if Sweden can get a lifeline via the Nations League, it's better to take a place in the playoff as group runners-up to get as easy opponents as possible in the semifinal.
The NL teams are placed in the fourth and worst drawing pot - the world ranking in November is used to place the World Championship qualification runners-up in the other three pots, which consist of four teams each. Teams from pot 1 are drawn against teams from pot 4 - teams from pot 2 and 3 are drawn against each other.
A total of 48 football national teams will play the men's World Championship in the summer of 2026 - XX places are already booked:
Asia (8 direct places): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan (debutant), South Korea, Uzbekistan (debutant).
Africa (9): Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria.
South America (6): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.
North and Central America and the Caribbean (6): USA, Mexico, Canada (host nations).
Oceania: New Zealand.
Europe (16): No team is clear yet.
Six national teams from Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, and North and Central America and the Caribbean will compete in a playoff in March for two World Championship places.
