The draw for the UEFA play-offs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been conducted.
According to Idman.Biz, the semi-final pairings for the European qualifying play-offs are as follows:
Path A:
- Italy vs Northern Ireland
- Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Path B:
- Ukraine vs Sweden
- Poland vs Albania
Path C:
- Turkey vs Romania
- Slovakia vs Kosovo
Path D:
- Denmark vs North Macedonia
- Czech Republic vs Ireland
Additionally, based on the intercontinental draw results, the winner of New Caledonia vs Jamaica will face the Democratic Republic of Congo for a World Cup spot, while the winner of Bolivia vs Suriname will play Iraq.
Hosts USA, Canada, and Mexico, along with Curacao, Panama, Haiti, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, England, France, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Spain, Austria, and Belgium have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup final stage.
The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with a total of 48 teams participating.
11:39
Today, the draw for the European play-offs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will take place.
According to Idman.Biz, the ceremony will be held at FIFA headquarters at 16:00 Baku time.
The play-offs will feature 12 teams that finished second in their qualifying groups, along with four teams from the Nations League (Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, and North Macedonia).
In total, 16 teams will be divided into four pots. Teams from the first pot will face teams from the fourth pot, while second-pot teams will meet third-pot teams.
Pot I: Turkiye, Italy, Ukraine, Denmark
Pot II: Wales, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia
Pot III: Albania, Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pot IV: Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia
The semi-final matches of the play-off stage, played as single-leg ties, will take place on March 26, 2026, with the finals scheduled for March 31. The winning team in each play-off path will secure a spot at the World Cup.
