World Cup playoffs: Everything you need to know as six places up for grabs

Tom Weber

• Updated: 23 Mar 2026 15:11 CDT
• 7 min read

Analysis

The initial qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup ended in November, but several countries can still reach the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico via the playoffs.

42 of the 48 teams that will participate in FIFA's expanded showpiece event were confirmed late last year, following the conclusion of the first phase of qualifying.

Four European nations and two more countries from the other confederations will have the chance to qualify for the World Cup via the playoffs that are set to take place over the next eight days.

The draw for both the UEFA playoff and the inter-confederation playoff took place on Thursday, 20 November at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich at noon GMT. The latter playoff features one team each from the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC.

The UEFA competition, by contrast, not only includes the 12 teams that finished runners-up in their respective qualifying groups but also the four teams with the highest Nations League ranking.

What teams will compete in the World Cup playoffs?

The UEFA playoff features some big-hitters such as four-time world champions Italy, who missed out on direct qualification after a 4-1 demolition by Norway on home soil.

Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina dropped into the playoff after dramatic results in the final qualifying games, with the former losing 4-2 to Scotland in an incredible game, while the latter only mustered a 1-1 draw with Austria.

Incredibly, Sweden will also feature in the playoffs and get a chance to reach the World Cup because they are the second-highest-ranked Nations League team (behind Romania) that did not qualify via the traditional pathway.

Despite a star-studded attack of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, the Scandinavian nation failed to win any of their qualifying games, which led to Jon Dahl Tomasson becoming the first national team boss in Sweden's history to get fired.

The four UEFA playoffs look as follows:

Path A

Semi-finals (26 March 2026)

Italy vs Northern Ireland

Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Final (31 March 2026)

Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy/Northern Ireland

Path B

Semi-finals (26 March 2026)

Ukraine vs Sweden

Poland vs Albania

Final (31 March 2026)

Ukraine/Sweden vs Poland/Albania

Path C

Semi-finals (26 March 2026)

Turkey vs Romania

Slovakia vs Kosovo

Final (31 March 2026)

Slovakia/Kosovo vs Turkey/Romania

Path D

Semi-finals (26 March 2026)

Denmark vs North Macedonia

Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland

Final (31 March 2026)

Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland vs Denmark/North Macedonia

Meanwhile, the inter-confederation playoff will look slightly different as the AFC and CAF teams, in this case Iraq and the Congo DR, have automatically been allocated a place in the two finals.

Iraq defeated the United Arab Emirates over two legs in a regional playoff to reach the inter-confederation playoff, while the Congo DR upset heavy favourites Cameroon and Nigeria to reach this stage.

The other four teams - Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname and North Caledonia - were drawn to play each other in the semi-finals, with the winner of these two respective games then facing Iraq and the Congo DR to decide the final two World Cup participants.

The inter-confederation playoff will be played on neutral ground in World Cup host nation Mexico, while the teams from UEFA's Pots 1 and 2 will have home advantage in their semi-final games.

Pathway 1

Semi-final (27 March 2026/26 March local time)

New Caledonia vs Jamaica

Final (31 March 2026)

Democratic Republic of the Congo vs New Caledonia/Jamaica

Pathway 2

Semi-final (26 March 2026)

Bolivia vs Suriname

Final (1 April 2026/31 March local time)

Iraq vs Bolivia/Suriname

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FIFA World Cup (@fifaworldcup)

Which European nations qualified for the 2026 World Cup via the traditional path?

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland have all qualified from the UEFA region.

Which CONCACAF nations qualified for the 2026 World Cup via the traditional path via the traditional path?

From CONCACAF, the United States, Mexico and Canada already qualified as hosts, while Panama, Curacao and Haiti joined them later.

Which CAF nations qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal and the Ivory Coast all qualified as group winners in CAF.

Which CONMEBOL nations qualified for the 2026 World Cup via the traditional path?

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying ended in September, with Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay all booking their place at the 2026 tournament by finishing in the top six of the South American standings.

Which AFC nations qualified for the 2026 World Cup via the traditional path?

Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Australia have all secured qualification for the World Cup from the AFC after finishing inside the top two places of their respective groups.

Which OFC nation qualified for the 2026 World Cup via the traditional path?

New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 in the OFC’s World Cup qualifying final to secure the confederation’s only direct spot at the tournament.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store