2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Teams, draws and schedules
2026-03-23 - 18:13
By Enitan Abdultawab The international break is upon us. This time, it is a combination of World Cup tickets and international friendlies. Therefore, while a couple of nations would be looking forward to clinching a World Cup ticket, some would only be playing friendlies in readiness for the World Cup. The final six tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be decided between March 26 and April 1, as both the European play-offs and FIFA’s intercontinental play-off tournament reach their decisive stages. While Europe will produce four qualifiers, the remaining two spots will come from a six-team intercontinental (consisting of AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, and OFC) playoff event in Mexico. At stake are the last places at the expanded tournament, with teams across continents battling through single-leg knockout fixtures. The intercontinental playoffs will take centre stage first, offering nations from different regions one final route to qualification before Europe completes its own selection process. Intercontinental play-off tournament (Mexico) FIFA’s six-team playoff event will be held in Guadalajara and Monterrey, featuring six nations namely Bolivia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname. The format sees the two highest-ranked teams advance directly to pathway finals, awaiting winners from the semi-finals. Think this as a format where two teams are in the semis already waiting for two other teams to complete the semis (four teams). Ultimately, two teams will qualify for the World Cup from this intercontinental playoffs. Pathway 1 Semi-final (March 27): New Caledonia vs Jamaica Final (March 31): DR Congo vs winner of New Caledonia vs Jamaica Pathway 2 Semi-final (March 26): Bolivia vs Suriname Final (April 1): Iraq vs winner of Bolivia/Suriname Afterwards, the winners of Pathway 1 will go into Group K with Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia, while the winners of Pathway 2 will join France, Senegal and Norway in Group I. European play-offs (UEFA) In Europe, 16 teams under UEFA will compete for four remaining World Cup spots through four knockout paths. Each path consists of single-leg semi-finals and a final, meaning teams must win twice to qualify. These sixteen (16) teams include runner-ups from the original group stages and UEFA Nations League qualifiers. They are as follows; Runners-up: Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, Ukraine, Turkey, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Wales, Albania and Czechia UEFA Nations League qualifiers: Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia and Northern Ireland Path A Semi-finals (March 26): Italy vs Northern Ireland; Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Final (March 31): Winner of each tie Path B Semi-finals (March 26): Ukraine vs Sweden; Poland vs Albania Final (March 31): Winner of each tie Path C Semi-finals (March 26): Türkiye vs Romania; Slovakia vs Kosovo Final (March 31): Winner of each tie Path D Semi-finals (March 26): Denmark vs North Macedonia; Czechia vs Republic of Ireland Final (March 31): Winner of each tie Afterwards, Path A winner enters Group B with co-hosts Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland. Path B winner enters Group E alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia. Path C winner enters Group C with co-hosts the USA, Paraguay, and Australia. Path D winner enters Group A with co-hosts Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea.