The UEFA nations flying high ahead of World Cup 26 qualifying draw

Germany, Spain, Portugal and more head into the UEFA FIFA World Cup 26 qualifying draw with a spring in their step following recent form.

• The UEFA qualifying draw for World Cup 26 takes place next month

• FIFA looks at a host of nations brimming with confidence ahead of it

• Likes of Germany, Spain and Greece are flying high

The UEFA Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26™ will take place on 13 December in Zurich. With the group phase in the UEFA Nations League now done and dusted, 2025 will primarily see teams focus on reaching the global showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

If the performances of recent months are any guide, many of the usual suspects will be hotly-tipped to proceed from the qualification phase. In this article, we round up some of the teams who have been especially impressive.

While Viktor Gyokeres is making headlines around the world with his exploits in the Portuguese league, the national team are also receiving richly deserved plaudits. Nearly two years after the appointment of Roberto Martinez, the 2016 European kings have settled into a groove.

“The second half against Poland [on 15 November in the Nations League] was the best football I’ve seen from my team,” said the Spaniard. “This is exactly the sort of intensity and teamwork that we need.”

Portugal’s tactical flexibility has improved under Martinez, while new faces have been integrated and fringe players have been promoted to develop a healthy competition for places in the starting line-up.

“Right now, we’re having a lot of fun and scoring goals,” said a delighted Bernardo Silva when asked about his side’s prospects. “If we carry on playing like this, it’ll be impossible to stop this team.”

Talking of unstoppable, Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace against Poland took his world-record tally to 135 international goals. The relentless marksman has already scored at five editions of the World Cup (another remarkable record) and could well be targeting the joy of six in 2026.

“We were in a sorry state last November,” said Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann when looking back at a lacklustre period exactly one year ago, when he was struggling to stamp his mark on his side and the results fell far short of his own lofty ambitions.

However, the picture is now much rosier after some thrilling performances on home soil at EURO 2024 and an undefeated Nations League group phase: “We’ve evolved. If we approach 2025 in the same way as we did 2024, then I think we’ll be better prepared for the World Cup in 2026 than we were this year ahead of the EURO.”

With Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined for an extended period, a battle has been raging to deputise between the sticks. Alexander Nubel, who performed well against Hungary, looks to have emerged as the front runner, especially with Nagelsmann having announced that he does not intend to keep chopping and changing goalkeepers next year.

Further forward, Germany averaged three goals per Nations League game and appear to have dealt well with the retirements of several illustrious players after the EURO. Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala’s on-pitch chemistry is continuing to shine through, while Tim Kleindienst has established himself as a fine alternative to Niclas Fullkrug.

Everything seems to be coming together, with Nagelsmann tellingly gushing recently that he has “never experienced such an atmosphere of togetherness”.

After Spain claimed 16 out of 18 points on offer in a tricky Nations League group with Denmark, Serbia and Switzerland, most bookmakers will be placing Luis de la Fuente’s side among the hot favourites to claim a second World Cup title. An enormously successful 2024 could herald the advent of another golden era.

“We’re extremely satisfied and we realise that we’re at a high level,” said de la Fuente. “We’ve always had a great team, but the difference now is that we’re a winning machine. Things are going well at present, and the excellent players in Spain mean that we have a wonderful future to look forward to.”

Spain have remained unbeaten in all 13 competitive matches in 2024 and their opponents in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers will have their work cut out to devise a way to counter La Roja’s aggressive, buccaneering game. They give up chances, but the European champions are so far ahead of the competition in terms of expected goals and average shots per game that they are better equipped than anyone to deal with conceding goals.

Across the continent

England only slipped up once in the Nations League when they fell to a 2-1 loss to Greece. They won all their other games by at least two goals, with those results earning the Three Lions promotion back to League A, while a fascinating new chapter awaits next year: it will be intriguing to see what incoming boss Thomas Tuchel achieves with the outstanding squad at his disposal.

The aforementioned Greece have been one of the surprise packages of recent months and finished level on points with England, while strikers Fotis Ioannidis and Vangelis Pavlidis look set to keep giving Ethniki fans something to shout about for years to come. Placed in Pot 2 for the draw, the EURO 2004 winners are sure to be one of the teams that the top sides from Pot 1 would prefer to avoid.

France, who have reached the last two World Cup finals, recovered from their EURO semi-final defeat to top their Nations League group, with faces new and old impressing.