ENGLAND may have to get past Euro 2024 conquerors Spain to earn an automatic place at the 2026 World Cup.
The draw for Uefa’s qualifying campaign will take place in December.
Europe have 16 places in the expanded competition which will see 48 teams play in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
But seeding for the 12 European qualifying groups will be determined by finishing positions in the next version of the Nations League, starting in September.
After England’s fourth placed finish in the previous edition in 2022, the Three Lions were relegated to League B, where they face the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Finland.
That means they cannot be top seeds, which will be the 12 best performing sides in League A.
It means England could have to face Spain, Germany, France or Portugal in the smaller qualifying groups of four or five, when only the winners go through by right.
The 12 group runners up will then join the four best Nations League teams that did not finish first or second in their groups in the play-off to find the final four qualifiers in March 2026.
If England, as they should, win their Nations League group, they will be in a five-team group and begin the journey to the USA in March.
Spain’s victory, coupled with Argentina’s triumph after a chaotic Copa America final against Colombia in Miami, raises the prospect of a meeting between teenage terror Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
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Pictures of Messi with a newly born Yamal surfaced last week.
The former Barcelona superstar added the South American crown to his 2022 World Cup winners medal from a game which was delayed more than an hour by crowd trouble.
Messi’s night finished early through injury but he was on the sidelines to witness Lautaro Martinez score the winning goal in extra time.
Argentina and Spain will be first and third when FIFA’s latest world rankings are released on Thursday.
England will overtake both Brazil and Belgium to move into fourth place with France in second.
