World Cup 2026 playoff draw live: Updated teams, schedule, and brackets for UEFA and intercontinental fixtures

The qualification cycle for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is almost at an end, with 42 of the 48 teams competing in next year's tournament now known.

The remaining spots will be claimed by the victors from the six playoff routes across the UEFA and intercontinental competitions.

Europe's playoff tournament will feature the likes of four-time world champions Italy and will offer four teams the chance to qualify for next year's finals via four brackets. The inter-confederation setup sees representatives from AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC compete for two spots in the group stage.

Today in Zurich, Switzerland, the playoff bracket draw will occur. AllSportsPeople will provide the most current information.

MORE: How the World Cup playoffs work

World Cup 2026 playoff draw live

All times ET

7:39 a.m.:  Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Ukraine vs. Sweden, Turkey vs. Romania, Denmark vs. North Macedonia.

7:37 a.m.:  Wales vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland vs. Albania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo, Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland.

7:34 a.m.: Wales are in Path A and could face Italy in the final!  Poland join Path B, Slovakia are in Path C, and Czechia in Path D. Now for the matchups...

7:31 a.m.:  Italy are in Path A, Ukraine Path B, Turkey Path C, and Denmark Path D. They will all be the home teams in their semifinals.

7:29 a.m.:  As a reminder, the Pot 1 teams are drawn first and will play their semifinals at home. Separate draws will be conducted to determine the home team for each pathways final.

7:24 a.m.:  Here to conduct the European draw is Marco Materazzi, the 2006 World Cup winner with Italy. He's been asked about scoring in the final, and in the shootout, but not about the small matter of getting Zinedine Zidane sent off for a headbutt. Hmm.

Former Sweden international Martin Dahlin joins him.

7:17 a.m.: So, we now know the pathways for the intercontinental playoffs, which will be held in Monterrey and Guadalajara next March. The two CONCACAF nations, Jamaica and Suriname, were kept apart in the draw, so they could both qualify for the finals.

On now to the UEFA draw...

7:13 a.m.: Bolivia vs. Suriname is the Path 2 semifinal. The winners will face Iraq in the final.

7:12 a.m.: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica is the Path 1 semifinal. The winners will face DR Congo in the final.

7:11 a.m.:  DR Congo are drawn into Path 1. Iraq go into Path 2.

7:08 a.m.:  Christian Karembeu is here to help with the interconfederation draw. The '98 World Cup winner with France was born in New Caledonia, who are competing in these playoffs.

7 a.m.:  The draw has officially begun. FIFA is treating us to a nice World Cup montage first. That Pele guy was quite good, wasn't he?

6:45 a.m.: A reminder of the seedings for today's draw:

UEFA:

Pot 1: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine.
Pot 2: Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
Pot 3: Republic of Ireland, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo.
Pot 4: Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland.

Pots 1 and 2 are the seeded teams and get a home draw for their semifinals.

INTERCONTINENTAL:

Seeded: DR Congo, Iraq
Unseeded: Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, New Caledonia

The two seeded teams are given a bye to their pathway finals.

6:19 a.m.: If you needed a reminder, these are the teams who have already qualified for next year's World Cup. The final six berths will be claimed by the playoffs. Italy stands out as the most prominent nation still vying for a spot; it's unlikely they'd fail to qualify for the finals for a third consecutive occasion, wouldn't they?

The draw is due to start in a little over 30 minutes.

5:40 a.m.: Today's proceedings will see the two different playoff draws take place back to back, so all teams involved will know their pathway towards World Cup qualification. Here is how all that works.

As a reminder, the World Cup group-stage draw is on December 5.

5 a.m.: Today's World Cup playoffs draw is here! The event in Zurich, Switzerland, will establish the routes for The European and inter-confederation tournaments, scheduled for Next March.

The World Cup playoff teams

The intercontinental playoff will feature six teams, determining the last two World Cup qualifiers. Meanwhile, the UEFA tournament will see 16 nations vying for two additional berths in the main event.

UEFA

Intercontinental

MORE: All you need to know about December's World Cup draw

World Cup 2026 playoff schedule and brackets

AllSportsPeople will provide updates on this page once the draw is complete and the paths for both playoff tournaments are established.

UEFA playoffs schedule

The semifinals are anticipated for March 26, 2026, and the finals for each bracket are scheduled for March 31.

Pathway 1

Semifinal

Final

Pathway 2

Semifinal

Final

Pathway 3

Semifinal

Final

Pathway 4

Semifinal

Final

Intercontinental playoffs calendar

Prior to the draw, it was understood that DR Congo and Iraq, as the top-ranked teams participating, were granted byes into the finals of their respective qualification routes.

The games are anticipated to take place in Mexico, specifically at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.

Pathway 1

Semifinal

Final

Pathway 2

Semifinal

Final

MORE: Updated list of teams to have qualified for the biggest World Cup ever

The confirmation of the World Cup playoff match dates is pending.

Game dates and start times will be finalized within two days after Thursday's draw.

The World Cup group-stage draw is scheduled for when?

The 2026 World Cup group stage draw is scheduled for December 5, 2025. This event will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., commencing at noon ET.

The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to commence on June 11, 2026.

Mexico City will host the World Cup's inaugural match on June 11, 2026. The championship game is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.