The FIFA World Cup 26™ Play-Off Tournament will see six sides fight it out for the final two places at the FIFA World Cup 26™ in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
It will involve two teams from Concacaf and one team apiece from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC, and will take place in March 2026 during the the international fixture window which runs from 23 – 31 March.
Four of the six teams have now been decided, with Bolivia, Congo DR, Iraq and New Caledonia confirmed as qualifiers, with just two sides from Concacaf to follow.
From the six participants, the four lowest-ranked nations in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will meet in bracket semi-finals. The two highest-ranked teams will go directly into the finals. The winners of the two bracket finals will reach the FIFA World Cup 26.
Read on to find out how teams from each confederation reached the FIFA Play-Off Tournament via their respective confederation qualification pathways, with the format for the event having been decided at the FIFA Council meeting in May 2017.
AFC
Iraq booked their place as the AFC representative in the most dramatic fashion possible, scoring a penalty in the 17th minute of added time in the second leg of their fifth round showdown with United Arab Emirates to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory. The duo had claimed their spots in that contest having finished as runners-up in the respective fourth round groups.
CAF
Congo DR will represent CAF in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. The Leopards finished as one of the best four second-place teams in the group stage to advance to the CAF Play-Off, where they defeated Cameroon 1-0 in the semi-final. That set the stage for a CAF Play-Off final against giants Nigeria, but Congo DR would emerge with a 4-3 penalty shootout win following a 1-1 draw to advance.
Concacaf
The 12 nations in the final round of qualifying will be split into three groups of four teams. Within each group, teams will play each other home and away. The three group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup, joining hosts Canada, Mexico and USA. The two best second-place finishers will qualify for the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
CONMEBOL
Bolivia secured seventh place in the South American qualifying standings on a dramatic final day of action to claim the available FIFA Play-Off Tournament berth, with the top six teams booking their place at FIFA World Cup 26. La Verde snatched a 1-0 victory at home to Brazil to climb above Venezuela in the table, with La Vinotinto allowing a 2-1 lead over Colombia to slip through their fingers as they were eventually defeated 6-3 in front of a stunned crowd at Estadio Monumental de Maturin.
OFC
New Caledonia will represent Oceania in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. They took on New Zealand in the final of third round qualifying, but suffered a 3-0 defeat as the All Whites secured the OFC’s automatic ticket to the World Cup finals. New Caledonia had reached the final having overcome Tahiti 3-0 in their third-round semi-final and are looking to feature at the global showpiece for the first time in their history.
