Qualifying groups
Twelve groups contain four or five teams. Each opponent is played at home and away. A win is worth three points, a draw one and a defeat none. A four-team group gives each team six fixtures; a five-team group gives each team eight.
Direct qualification
All twelve group winners qualify. So do the eight highest-ranked runners-up in the overall qualifying ranking. This produces twenty direct qualifiers. A second-placed team needs both its group position and the cross-group ranking to know whether it has qualified directly.
The fair comparison between groups
For teams finishing in the top four of a five-team group, results against fifth place are excluded from the overall qualifying ranking. The comparison then uses points, goal difference, goals scored, away goals, wins, away wins, disciplinary record and the relevant Nations League ranking in the order set by Article 23. The ordinary group standings continue to count every match.
Teams tied inside a qualifying group
The first comparison uses points in the matches between the tied teams, then goal difference and goals scored in those matches. If a smaller set remains tied, the same head-to-head criteria are applied again to that set. The remaining order is overall group goal difference, goals scored, away goals, wins, away wins, disciplinary record and the interim 2026/27 Nations League ranking. This is a different question from comparing runners-up across groups.
Two reserved places for the hosts
Up to two places can go to host teams that miss direct qualification. Where more than two hosts need a place, their overall qualifying ranking decides which two receive it. Any unused reserved places are added to the play-off allocation. This is why “four hosts” does not mean “four automatic qualifiers”.
Why the play-off format can change
If both reserved places are used, eight teams compete in two four-team paths, each with single-match semi-finals and a final. If one reserved place is used, twelve teams compete in three such paths. If neither is used, eight teams play four two-legged ties for four finals places. The bracket must therefore use the format triggered by the actual host outcomes.
Who enters the play-offs
Eligible remaining qualifying runners-up are joined by eligible Nations League group winners, selected through the applicable ranking. A team already qualified, or awarded a reserved host place, is not given another route at the expense of the next eligible team. The regulations also provide fallback selection rules where too few eligible group winners remain.
The final tournament group stage
Twenty-four teams are drawn into six groups of four. Each team plays its three opponents once. The top two in every group advance, as do four of the six third-placed teams. Twelve teams qualify through first or second place and four through the separate third-place comparison.
What A1 and B1 mean
The numbers in A1–F4 are draw positions used to organise the schedule. They are not the pots. Conditional host and Northern Ireland assignments apply at the final draw when the relevant teams have qualified; the group-head rules should not be used to announce qualification before it has happened.
Teams tied inside a finals group
Head-to-head points come first, then head-to-head goal difference and goals scored. If only some teams remain tied, the head-to-head criteria are applied again to those teams. The remaining sequence uses overall group goal difference, goals scored, disciplinary record and the applicable qualifying ranking. There is a specific penalty-shoot-out provision for two teams still level when they face each other in their last group match, subject to the conditions in Article 20.
Comparing third-placed teams
Third-placed teams from different groups are compared using points, goal difference, goals scored, wins, disciplinary record and the applicable qualifying ranking. The best four advance. Their last-16 opponents follow a predetermined assignment table based on which four groups they come from; they are not simply ordered first to fourth against four waiting group winners.
The knockout rounds
Sixteen teams become eight, then four, then two. A knockout match level after normal time goes to extra time and, if necessary, penalties. There is no third-place play-off. Penalty-shoot-out goals do not become part of the match’s ordinary score.
An example of the group-size adjustment
Suppose a runner-up in a five-team qualifying group earns 18 points, including six against the team that finishes fifth. Its cross-group comparison begins with 12 points from the remaining six matches. Its own qualifying group table still shows 18. This is an illustrative calculation, not a live team result.
Questions and answers
How many teams qualify from the finals groups?
The six group winners and six runners-up progress, together with the four highest-ranked third-placed teams. Those 16 sides enter the knockout bracket.
Is the qualifying format the same as the finals format?
No. Qualifying uses 12 groups and a runners-up comparison, followed by the applicable play-off paths. The finals use six groups of four teams before the knockout rounds.