WHO: Ukraine vs France
Contents: UEFA Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Location: Tarchinsky Arena Rokro, Lokro, Poland
When: Friday, September 5th, 8:45pm (19:45 GMT)
How to Follow: All buildups can be made to Al Jazeera Sport from 5:45 PM (16:45 GMT) prior to the live text commentary stream.
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The European Football Focus will switch to qualifying for the next two weeks of the 2026 World Cup, but that is just the beginning of the 11 weeks that will help determine whether each six games will advance to the tournament.
The European qualifying program includes 54 teams, of which 24 have only kicked the ball on their intended path to play on the biggest stage of football in the US, Canada and Mexico, which begins on June 11th next year.
France, the 2018 World Cup winner, will launch a 2026 edition qualifying campaign against Ukraine in Lesbuls’ first game since losing an epic final against Argentina at the Qatar World Cup in December 2022.
Al Jazeera Sports watches Ukrainian matches against France and explains why many teams are currently taking part in the qualifying rounds.
Why is Ukraine vs France being played in Poland?
Ukraine will hold its game at Poland’s neutral Poland Lokla due to concerns about security at home during Russian military invasions.
The Russian team was banned by UEFA and FIFA from all international competitions in February 2022, when the war began.
Why haven’t France played World Cup qualifiers yet?
France, along with 23 other teams, is currently taking part in the World Cup qualifying program, thanks to some advances in the top seed of the 2025 Nations League, which culminated in June.
Portugal won the championship as they defeated Spain 5-3 in a penalty in the 2025 final in this year’s final.
Spain overcame France in the semi-finals, while Portugal defeated Germany. The remaining qualifying rounds from the second half of that tournament are currently taking part in the World Cup qualifying round.
Who else is in the Ukraine and French groups?
Iceland and Azerbaijan are the complete group D in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers.
How do qualifiers work with France, Portugal and other teams currently participating in qualifiers?
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, each consisting of five teams, there are already six groups. The 4-round game has already been played.
Currently, six groups that will be participating in the qualifying round are each made up of four teams.
The top teams of the 12 groups will advance directly to the finals next summer, with the 12 runner-ups entering the playoffs, with the Nations League side, the four best places that are not eligible at this stage.
For more information on the playoff format, click here to see the full breakdown of Wednesday’s first qualifying set preview at this stage.
What is France’s thought about participating in the current qualification?
French defender Jules Kaunde is seeking a reassessment of football’s increasingly busy calendar, warning that the sport’s excessive schedules are affecting not only the players but the wider ecosystem around the game.
Prior to the French match against French hosts Ukraine and Iceland in Paris on Wednesday, Kounde said the unrelenting pace of equipment was at the expense of its merciless pace.
“It’s not just the players,” he said. “I have a family. I also think about all the people who work in football and all those who can be victims of this relentless pace.”
Kounde, who plays for Barcelona, did not appear at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the US from June 14th to July 13th, but the 26-year-old suggests the tournament’s impact on an already packed season.
Manchester City’s Rayan Cerki and Arsenal’s William Saliba were pulled from the doubleheader with injuries, but Paris Saint-Germain forward Osmane Dembele missed training on Tuesday due to a thigh injury.
Having reached the Club World Cup final, PSG played 65 games in the 2024-25 season.
“It’s the whole ecosystem,” he said.
“In life, when we go too far, we stop assessing them. When we see too much, we no longer give the same importance. That’s what happens in football – it’s overconsumption.”
The first 32-team Club World Cup added 63 games to its summer schedule, prompting criticism from players and clubs over fatigue and risk of injury.
Kounde urged the governing body of football to reflect on the long-term sustainability of the current model.
“These are things we need to look at,” he said. “And I think they need to change.”
Head on
This is the 13th meeting with a country where France has won six times, while Ukraine only won once.
What happened in the last Ukraine-France match?
The sides met last in the World Cup qualifiers in Kiev in September 2021, and the match ended with a 1-1 draw.
Mykola Shaparenko gave the lead to the home side, but Anthony Martial leveled it out for the Frenchman.
The group’s reverse fixture also ended in a 1-1 draw in Paris.
Ukraine Team News
Real Madrid goalkeeper Andri Luinn missed due to injuries so Anatoly Trubin begins with goal.
Defender Oleksandr Tymchyk has been delayed in withdrawing from the team due to a knock.
French team news
Defender Saliba suffered a muscle injury in Arsenal’s defeat at Liverpool on Sunday.
Cherki of Manchester City was forced to retreat as Hugo Ekitique of Inistol Frankfurt knocked in his place.
Dembele is expected to shake off his thigh problems.
Possible starting lineup for Ukraine
Trubin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviienko, Mykolenko; kaliuzhny, Zinchenko; Tsygankov, Shaparenko, Sudakov; dovbyk
Available starting lineup in France
Mainyan; Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, T Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Thuram; mbappe
