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World Cup 2026 - who the UK's home nations and Ireland will play
Scotland and England now know who they will face in the group stage of the next summer's world cup.
But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won't be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March. England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana.
Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Scotland's first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.
Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams - both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France. Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.
Read more:EasyJet staff at Luton Airport to strike over Christmas If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits..
Amir Nisi
Creative and experienced content writer with 6+ years of experience lazy to create unique content strategy for News5 to turn website visitors into customers.
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