The battle for the final spots in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ takes place in late March, with two places to be determined in the FIFA Play-off Tournament. Concacaf sides Jamaica and Suriname will attempt to give the region eight teams in this year’s global showpiece, joining co-hosts Canada, Mexico and USA, along with qualifiers Curaçao Haiti and Panama.
Jamaica must first get past New Caledonia before a winner-takes-all affair with Congo DR, while a Suriname victory against Bolivia would set up a showdown against Iraq. History suggests that both the Reggae Boyz and A Natio can feel optimistic about their chances.
In six previous intercontinental play-offs involving a Concacaf team, three times they have emerged victorious. FIFA takes a look back at who punched their ticket and who came up just short.
USA 1994
The intercontinental play-off staged prior to USA 1994 is largely remembered for Argentina’s victory over Australia in which Diego Maradona returned to the national team after an eight-month absence due to a dispute with then-coach Alfio Basile. But to even reach that two-legged tie to face La Albiceleste, the Aussies had to overcome a Canada team seeking a first World Cup since Mexico 1986.
The first leg of their first round play-off took place on 31 July 1993 in Edmonton where Canada overcame a half-time deficit to claim a 2-1 victory. Things were just as tight in the second leg two weeks later in Sydney, but entering the final quarter-hour the Canadians were poised to punch their ticket thanks to a sizzling right-footed strike from Lynden Hooper. It was not meant to be though, as Australia pulled level on aggregate through Mehmet Durakovic’s header and then won on penalties, 4-1.
Germany 2006
Two editions of the World Cup would pass by before a Concacaf team were in another intercontinental play-off. In the run-up to Germany 2006, it was Trinidad and Tobago who secured their spot in the second chance dance against Bahrain in November 2005.
In front of the home fans in Port of Spain, the Soca Warriors were plagued by nerves and found themselves down 1-0 deep in the second half. But relief was on the way in the form of Chris Birchall, whose stunning strike from distance earned his side a 1-1 draw.
Eager to put a poor first leg performance behind them, Trinidad and Tobago were superb in the second leg and seized a 1-0 lead early in the second half through Dennis Lawrence’s towering header. Goalkeeper Kelvin Jack then made the save of his life in the waning moments to preserve the 2-1 aggregate victory and send the Caribbean island to their first World Cup.
“I felt the momentum shifted with Chris Birchall’s goal because we didn’t play that well and I knew we wouldn’t be that bad the second time around,” said Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Shaka Hislop to FIFA in 2024.
South Africa 2010
A late USA goal in their Concacaf qualifying finale snatched away Costa Rica’s ticket to South Africa 2010, so off to the play-offs went Los Ticos against Uruguay. The first leg in San Jose saw the South Americans gain the upper hand with a 1-0 win, and that was further strengthened by Sebastian ‘El Loco’ Abreu’s second half header in the second leg in Montevideo.
But Costa Rica had gone toe-to-toe with the CONMEBOL outfit until that point and struck right back through Walter Centeno to cut it to 2-1. The Central Americans had their opponents pegged back in the final stages, but a late goal to swing the tie in their favour was not on the cards. Uruguay would go on to finish third at South Africa 2010, but the play-off defeat later galvanised Costa Rica, who renewed acquaintances with the Celeste in their Brazil 2014 opener and dismantled them 3-1.
“We were very motivated to open against Uruguay because they kept us out of South Africa 2010 in what was a very even play-off and one in which we had them on the ropes,” said Costa Rica’s Bryan Ruiz to FIFA in 2024.
Brazil 2014
One of the most dramatic Concacaf qualification campaigns to date ended with Mexico sneaking into the intercontinental play-off thanks to a last-minute goal from rivals USA against Panama. El Tricolor then took full advantage of the lifeline extended by their neighbours to the north, as they ripped apart New Zealand 9-3 on aggregate in November 2013 to stamp their spot at Brazil 2014.
With new coach Miguel Herrera on the touchline, Mexico roared to a 5-1 victory at home in Mexico City in the first leg, before marching to an emphatic 4-2 win a week later in Wellington. The hero in both legs was Oribe Peralta, who bagged a brace in front of the home fans and then notched a hat-trick away to shatter Kiwi dreams.
Russia 2018
Staring at elimination at half-time of their Russia 2018 qualifying finale, Honduras rallied to defeat Mexico 3-2, and, coupled with USA’s shocking 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago, progressed to a November 2017 play-off against Australia.
In their home fortress of San Pedro Sula, Honduras failed to make the most of their chances and were left feeling frustrated in a scoreless draw. Five days later in Sydney, Mile Jedinak single-handedly put Los Catrachos to the sword with a trio of goals to send the Socceroos to the global showpiece, 3-1.
Qatar 2022
Costa Rica were all but done and dusted by the time the halfway point was reached in Concacaf qualifying for Qatar 2022. The Ticos had only taken six points from 21 possible and were five points behind the team standing in the play-off spot, Panama. However, a turnabout for the ages saw Costa Rica close qualifying with six wins and a draw to nail down a winner-takes-all play-off with New Zealand in June 2022 in Qatar.
One of the heroes from Costa Rica’s memorable quarter-final finish at Brazil 2014, Joel Campbell, scored in the third minute and that would hold until the final whistle to give the Central Americans qualification to their third consecutive World Cup.
