Short answers, pulled from the story.
The UEFA Executive Committee confirmed the revised qualification format on the 25th of January 2023 in Nyon, Switzerland. This decision changed the number of available slots from thirteen to sixteen for European teams.
The new system created six groups containing four teams and six groups containing five teams. Group winners advance directly to the tournament while second-placed teams move to play-offs.
The group stage draw took place on the 13th of December 2024. During this event Ukraine faced outrage when the map displayed did not include Crimea leading to an apology from FIFA.
Matchday dates ranged from the 21st of March 2025 through the 18th of November 2025 for the first round. The process concluded with semi-finals on the 26th of March 2026 and finals on the 31st of March 2026.
Russia's entry was invalidated by their suspension from all UEFA and FIFA competitions following the invasion of Ukraine. Only fifty-four men's national teams submitted valid entries out of UEFA's fifty-five member associations.