With the FIFA World Cup qualifiers concluded, 42 countries have secured their spots at the 2026 tournament.
FIFA has expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, leaving six remaining slots to be decided through the play-offs and inter-confederation play-offs. The 2026 World Cup will be hosted jointly by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
The draw for the play-offs takes place on Thursday, with 16 European participants competing for four UEFA spots.
These four spots will be decided through four play-off paths, each containing four teams, featuring one-legged semi-finals and finals. The draw will determine the matchups for each path.
In the semi-finals, the seeded teams will play at home:
- Pot 1 vs Pot 4
- Pot 2 vs Pot 3
Each path will feature one team from each pot, leading to a final. Home advantage for the finals will be determined by the draw, which proceeds from Pot 1 through Pot 4. The semi-finals are scheduled for March 26, followed by the finals on March 31.
The 12 teams that finished runners-up in their groups are seeded into three pots according to their FIFA world rankings, while the fourth pot contains four teams awarded a play-off spot based on their UEFA Nations League performance.
The remaining two slots will be filled through the inter-confederation play-offs, with the draw taking place at the same time. Six nations will compete in two paths, each with a semi-final and final. The two highest-ranked countries go directly to the final:
- DR Congo (Africa) – Final One
- Iraq (Asia) – Final Two
The remaining four teams – Jamaica and Suriname (CONCACAF), Bolivia (CONMEBOL), and New Caledonia (OFC) – will be drawn into the semi-finals, with the only condition being that one CONCACAF team is placed in each path.
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