UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying draw

The UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying draw is coming to ICC Belfast on Sunday 6 December 2026. It's the first major milestone on the road to the tournament, and it's happening right here in the city. The Euro 2028 Championships themselves will be staged across nine venues and eight cities in the UK and Ireland, so this is the moment the whole thing really starts to take shape.

If you're not across how the qualifying works, here's the run-down: teams are drawn into 12 groups of four or five and play each other home and away. The group winners qualify directly for the finals, while the runners-up either qualify outright or go into play-off matches against UEFA Nations League sides in March 2028. That's what's being decided on the day — which teams end up where and who they'll be facing on their way to the tournament.

It's a big draw for the city, too. The Irish Football Association has called this the best-ever EURO, celebrating the passion, inclusivity and unity of football across the islands. Rob McConnell, chief of ICC Belfast, described hosting the draw as a landmark achievement for sport and tourism in Northern Ireland. It's expected to bring together Europe's leading national team coaches, association representatives and UEFA leadership, all gathered in one room to see the groups sorted.

And there's a massive scale to the whole thing. The tournament is projected to generate an estimated £3.6 billion in social and economic benefits across the host nations. That's the backdrop to the day: a few balls in a bowl that set the stage for a tournament stretching across the UK and Ireland. The draw takes place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Belfast on Sunday 6 December 2026.