The 2026 World Cup will feature 16 UEFA nations, up from the usual 13. While that slightly improves the odds of reaching the finals, qualifying is still far from simple. To secure an automatic place, teams must finish top of their group, while second-place sides face the play-offs alongside the four best Nations League group winners.
After the latest round of international fixtures, we now have a clearer picture of which Home Nations are pushing for top spot and which may need to scrap for a play-off place. Let us take a look at how each fared during the September internationals.
England
Group Winner Odds: 1/100
The Three Lions have all but booked their place in next year’s World Cup following wins against Andorra and Serbia. It was good for Thomas Tuchel’s side to end this break on a high note, given they were subject to some criticism following the lacklustre win over Andorra. A dull 2-0 home victory against a side ranked 174th in the world left some fans questioning if Tuchel’s system was too slow and passive. This was not a brand new complaint either, as England only managed a slender 1-0 win over Andorra in June’s reverse fixture.
So, to travel away to Serbia, a side ranked 32nd in the world, and hammer them 5-0 was quite the morale-boosting triumph. The scoreline did not flatter the Three Lions either, as they were able to significantly up their game when faced with tougher opposition. As well as keeping the Serbian attack extremely quiet, Tuchel’s side looked dangerous in attack and carved out a number of clear-cut opportunities. Not only an excellent game to watch, but the win has put England on the brink of qualification, something that allows Tuchel to experiment in the remaining fixtures.
Scotland
Group Winner Odds: 5/2
With only four teams in their group, Scotland’s World Cup qualification campaign only got underway during this international break. They could not have asked for a much better start, either. First up was a test away to group favourites Denmark. The Danes were strong favourites for the clash, but the visitors stood firm and battled away to earn a valuable point in a 0-0 draw. This was no fluke of a scoreline either. Denmark perhaps edged proceedings a little, but were only able to produce an xG of 1.2 compared to Scotland’s 0.62.
After this very useful away point, Scotland travelled south to take on Belarus in Hungary behind closed doors. This was a game Steve Clarke’s men should be winning, and they did exactly that. Despite some wasteful finishing, the Scots secured a 2-0 victory against a side ranked 97th in the world. An initial four points puts Scotland into second place in Group C, just behind Denmark, who have a superior +1 goal difference. Goal difference is something the Scots will need to be mindful of, as it could impact what result they require against Denmark when the nations meet for the final group stage match.
Wales
Group Winner Odds: 9/2
Several UEFA World Cup qualification groups have two teams battling it out for top spot, but Group J is especially competitive. North Macedonia lead the way on 11 points, closely followed by Belgium (game in hand) and Wales on 10. Wales kept themselves in the hunt by beating Kazakhstan in what was their only qualification match of the break. It was a rather nervy victory though, with Wales forced to withstand some pressure late on, but they escaped from Astana with three points courtesy of Kieffer Moore’s goal.
The win briefly put Wales top of Group J, but victories for North Macedonia and Belgium saw Craig Bellamy’s slide down to third. As Belgium still have a game in hand, Wales face a make-or-break test next month when they take on the Red Devils. Back to this month’s break, though and following their triumph in Kazakhstan, Wales took on Canada as Bellamy wanted to give his side a competitive challenge.
The Canadians proved too strong on the night, having the better of a match they won 1-0. This should be no real cause for concern for Wales fans, though, as Bellamy made wholesale changes to his starting XI, with only three players surviving the Kazakhstan win. He even managed to give debuts to three players, Ronan Kpakio from the start and Joel Colwill and Kai Andrews from the bench. The defeat was just Bellamy’s second in charge, but it will have been useful experience for him and the debutants ahead of next month’s crunch qualifier.
Northern Ireland
Group Winner Odds: 12/1
Northern Ireland’s start to World Cup qualification went largely as expected with a win over Luxembourg and a defeat to Germany. The Luxembourg match came first, and despite missing a penalty straight after Jamie Reid opened the scoring, the visitors avoided any real drama. By the 70th minute, Justin Devenny put them 3-1 up against a 10-man Luxembourg, and by this stage, the points were all but secured.
Three days after this, Michael O’Neill’s men travelled to Germany for what will likely be the toughest match of their Group A journey. Getting anything from this fixture would have been an unexpected bonus, and they arrived at the half-time break with the scoreline 1-1. The match had been rather even in the opening half, but Germany upped their game after the interval and began to dominate proceedings. Goals from Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz capitalised on their superiority and handed the Germans a 3-1 win.
What’s Next?
Good to be back out there in an England shirt. Job done at Villa Park, positive step forward in our World Cup qualifying campaign 🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/RL0KMSPBWp
— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 6, 2025
The next international break runs from 6th to 14th October 2025. In this time, England will face Wales in a friendly before taking on Latvia as they seek to maintain their perfect qualification record. Scotland, meanwhile, host clashes against Greece and Belarus. These are matches they cannot afford to drop points in if they are to top Group C.
Following on from the England vs Wales friendly at Wembley, Craig Bellamy’s side will take on Belgium on home soil as they seek to avenge the 4-3 loss suffered back in June. Lastly, Northern Ireland face two huge clashes at Windsor Park. The first is against current Group A leaders Slovakia, while three days later they take on group favourites Germany.