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Nieuws
- 8 hours ago
How Sweden can still reach the 2026 World Cup despite winless qualifying campaign
Tom Weber
- 19 Nov 2025 15:01 CST
- 7 min read
Analysis
The initial qualifying stage for the 2026 World Cup has come to an end, but several countries can still reach the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico via the March playoffs.
42 of the 48 teams that will participate in FIFA's expanded showpiece event have been confirmed 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 will be held during the next international break from 23–31 March.
The draw for both the UEFA playoff and the inter-confederation playoff will take place on Thursday, 20 November at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. The latter playoff features one team each from the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC.
The UEFA pots, by contrast, not only include 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 pots look as follows:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Italy | Poland | Republic of Ireland | Sweden |
| Denmark | Wales | Albania | Romania |
| Turkey | Czech Republic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | North Macedonia |
| Ukraine | Slovakia | Kosovo | Northern Ireland |
The teams in Pots 1-3 finished as runners-up in their qualifying groups, while the Pot 4 teams are included due to their Nations League ranking
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 - will be 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.
Which European nations have 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 have 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 have 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 have 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 have 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 has 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.
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