\n
International Play-Off Draw<\/strong><\/h4>\nSix teams from five confederations\u2014AFC, CONCACAF, CAF, OFC, and CONMEBOL<\/strong>\u2014will compete for two remaining World Cup spots. This section features two paths<\/strong>, each producing one qualifier.<\/p>\n\n- Seeded Teams:<\/strong>
\nIraq<\/em> and DR Congo<\/em> are seeded as the two highest-ranked teams in the latest FIFA rankings. They advance directly to the final of their respective paths.<\/li>\n- Other Participants:<\/strong>
\nJamaica, Bolivia, Suriname,<\/em> and New Caledonia<\/em> will contest the semi-finals for a chance to face the seeded teams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDraw Results:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Path 1:<\/strong>\n
\n- Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica<\/em><\/li>\n
- Final: Winner vs DR Congo<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Path 2:<\/strong>\n
\n- Semi-final: Bolivia vs Suriname<\/em><\/li>\n
- Final: Winner vs Iraq<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
All matches will be played in Mexico<\/strong>, specifically in Guadalajara<\/strong> and Monterrey<\/strong>, both host cities for the tournament proper. The semi-finals are slated for 23 March and the finals for 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ds.vstv.videoready.tv\/wp-static\/uploads\/2025\/11\/FIFA-Play-off-Tournament-draw-results-384x216.avif\")
<\/p>\n
European Play-Off Draw<\/strong><\/h4>\n\nThe main talking point of this draw is Italy<\/strong>. For the third consecutive time<\/strong>, the Azzurri find themselves in the World Cup qualifying play-offs. Their recent history in this stage has been disappointing:<\/p>\n\n- 2018:<\/strong> Lost to Sweden<\/li>\n
- 2022:<\/strong> Shock defeat to North Macedonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Interestingly, both of those teams are also in this year\u2019s play-offs. However, after the draw, Italy avoided their past nemeses. They will face Northern Ireland<\/strong> in the semi-final of Path A<\/strong>. If they win, they will meet either Wales<\/strong> or Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/strong> in the final.<\/p>\nThe European semi-finals will take place on Thursday 26 March, with the finals the following Tuesday 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n
\nConfirmed Play-Off Paths<\/strong><\/h4>\nPath A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- SF1: Italy vs Northern Ireland<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF2: Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Path B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- SF3: Ukraine vs Sweden<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF4: Poland vs Albania<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Path C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- SF5: Turkey vs Romania<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF6: Slovakia vs Kosovo<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Path D<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- SF7: Denmark vs North Macedonia<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF8: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nFinals Draw<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- Path A Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF2 (Wales\/Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/em>) hosts winner of SF1 (Italy\/Northern Ireland<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Path B Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF3 (Ukraine\/Sweden<\/em>) hosts winner of SF4 (Poland\/Albania<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Path C Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF6 (Slovakia\/Kosovo<\/em>) hosts winner of SF5 (Turkey\/Romania<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Path D Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF8 (Czech Republic\/Republic of Ireland<\/em>) hosts winner of SF7 (Denmark\/North Macedonia<\/em>).<\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ds.vstv.videoready.tv\/wp-static\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UEFA-European-play-off-draw-fixtures-and-pathway-for-World-Cup-2026-graphic-384x216.avif\")
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Play-Off Tournament took place at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland (20\/11\/2025). There were two separate draws: International Play-Off Draw European Section Draw International Play-Off Draw Six teams from five confederations\u2014AFC, CONCACAF, CAF, OFC, and CONMEBOL\u2014will compete for two remaining World Cup spots. This section features … Continue reading World Cup 2026 Playoff Draw: Europe and International Paths Revealed<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121,17,5],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-1401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","category-popular","category-top-stories","tag-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1401"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1410,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions\/1410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- Seeded Teams:<\/strong>
\nIraq<\/em> and DR Congo<\/em> are seeded as the two highest-ranked teams in the latest FIFA rankings. They advance directly to the final of their respective paths.<\/li>\n- Other Participants:<\/strong>
\nJamaica, Bolivia, Suriname,<\/em> and New Caledonia<\/em> will contest the semi-finals for a chance to face the seeded teams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDraw Results:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Path 1:<\/strong>\n
- \n
- Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica<\/em><\/li>\n
- Final: Winner vs DR Congo<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Path 2:<\/strong>\n
- \n
- Semi-final: Bolivia vs Suriname<\/em><\/li>\n
- Final: Winner vs Iraq<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
All matches will be played in Mexico<\/strong>, specifically in Guadalajara<\/strong> and Monterrey<\/strong>, both host cities for the tournament proper. The semi-finals are slated for 23 March and the finals for 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nEuropean Play-Off Draw<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nThe main talking point of this draw is Italy<\/strong>. For the third consecutive time<\/strong>, the Azzurri find themselves in the World Cup qualifying play-offs. Their recent history in this stage has been disappointing:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 2018:<\/strong> Lost to Sweden<\/li>\n
- 2022:<\/strong> Shock defeat to North Macedonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Interestingly, both of those teams are also in this year\u2019s play-offs. However, after the draw, Italy avoided their past nemeses. They will face Northern Ireland<\/strong> in the semi-final of Path A<\/strong>. If they win, they will meet either Wales<\/strong> or Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/strong> in the final.<\/p>\n
The European semi-finals will take place on Thursday 26 March, with the finals the following Tuesday 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n
\nConfirmed Play-Off Paths<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Path A<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- SF1: Italy vs Northern Ireland<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF2: Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Path B<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- SF3: Ukraine vs Sweden<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF4: Poland vs Albania<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Path C<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- SF5: Turkey vs Romania<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF6: Slovakia vs Kosovo<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Path D<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- SF7: Denmark vs North Macedonia<\/em><\/li>\n
- SF8: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nFinals Draw<\/strong><\/h4>\n
- \n
- Path A Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF2 (Wales\/Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/em>) hosts winner of SF1 (Italy\/Northern Ireland<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Path B Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF3 (Ukraine\/Sweden<\/em>) hosts winner of SF4 (Poland\/Albania<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Path C Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF6 (Slovakia\/Kosovo<\/em>) hosts winner of SF5 (Turkey\/Romania<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- Path D Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF8 (Czech Republic\/Republic of Ireland<\/em>) hosts winner of SF7 (Denmark\/North Macedonia<\/em>).<\/li>\n
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Play-Off Tournament took place at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland (20\/11\/2025). There were two separate draws: International Play-Off Draw European Section Draw International Play-Off Draw Six teams from five confederations\u2014AFC, CONCACAF, CAF, OFC, and CONMEBOL\u2014will compete for two remaining World Cup spots. This section features … Continue reading World Cup 2026 Playoff Draw: Europe and International Paths Revealed<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121,17,5],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-1401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","category-popular","category-top-stories","tag-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1401"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1410,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1401\/revisions\/1410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Path B Final:<\/strong> Winner of SF3 (Ukraine\/Sweden<\/em>) hosts winner of SF4 (Poland\/Albania<\/em>).<\/li>\n
- SF8: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- SF6: Slovakia vs Kosovo<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- SF4: Poland vs Albania<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- SF2: Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- 2022:<\/strong> Shock defeat to North Macedonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Final: Winner vs Iraq<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Final: Winner vs DR Congo<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica<\/em><\/li>\n
- Other Participants:<\/strong>