FIFA has changed the draw procedure for European national teams during the qualifying rounds for the next World Cup. The new rules will also affect Ukraine’s potential group.
The Ukrainian national team will not have any restrictions before the draw for the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup — recently, FIFA made the corresponding changes.
Initially, participants in the March League of Nations games could only be placed in groups of four teams — this also applied to Ukraine. Serhii Rebrov's team ended up in the second pot. A revised document regarding the formation of groups has been released, which includes important changes.
Teams that are in the second, third, and fourth pots can end up in a group with 4 or 5 teams. The only valid restriction is the presence of only one team participating in the League of Nations playoff matches.
Thus, the Ukrainian national team may end up in a group with five teams if they draw England or Switzerland from the first pot — only these teams did not advance to the League of Nations playoffs.
