| European World Cup Qualifiers Telecast Lists | |
| COUNTRY | CHANNEL |
| India | Sony Sports Network |
| U.S | Disney+, Fox Sports, Fubo TV |
| Malaysia | EMTV, UEFA.tv |
| Indonesia | Vision+ |
| Germany | DAZN |
| Brazil | Disney+, sportv | Ao Vivo |
| Middle East | beIN Sports |
| Portugal | Sport TV |
| U.K | Prime Video UK |
| Spain | RTVE PLAY, UEFA.tv |
About European World Cup Qualifiers.
The European World Cup Qualifiers are a series of football (soccer) matches held by the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) to determine which national teams from Europe will qualify for the FIFA World Cup. These qualifiers are an essential part of the World Cup qualification process for European teams, and they take place over a set period, typically lasting for about two years before the World Cup itself.
Key Points About the European World Cup Qualifiers:
Qualification Format:
Group Stage: The 55 European teams are divided into several groups (usually 5 to 7 groups, depending on the number of teams) and play a round-robin format where each team plays home and away matches against every other team in their group.
Top Teams Advance: The top team from each group automatically qualifies for the World Cup.
Playoffs: The remaining spots are decided through playoffs. These are typically held between the best second-placed teams and possibly some other high-ranking teams that didn’t win their group. These playoffs are usually knockout-style matches.
Qualification Period:
European qualifiers usually begin about 3 years before the next World Cup and end about a year before the tournament. For instance, for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the qualifiers began in 2019 and ended in 2021.
Number of Spots:
The number of spots for European teams in the World Cup is determined by FIFA and is typically around 13 teams, though this can vary. For example, the 2022 World Cup had 13 spots for European teams.
Important Factors:
Teams earn points for victories and draws in the group stage. In case of a tie in points, goal difference or goals scored is used as tiebreakers.
The format ensures competitive balance, with historically strong teams like Germany, France, and Spain typically securing automatic qualifications, while other nations battle for the remaining spots.
Recent Trends:
In recent times, smaller nations such as Croatia, Iceland, and Wales have had success in qualifying for World Cups, showing that the competitive field is broadening in Europe.
Major footballing nations have sometimes failed to qualify, as seen with Italy's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The European World Cup Qualifiers are a highly anticipated event in the football calendar, with teams from across Europe competing for a chance to represent their country on the world stage. The stakes are high, as qualification not only brings national pride but also considerable financial and commercial benefits to the teams involved.