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 places will be filled by the winners of the six playoff pathways in the UEFA and intercontinental sections.
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.
The draw for these playoff brackets takes place today in Zurich, Switzerland. AllSportsPeople has the latest updates.
MORE: How the World Cup playoffs work
World Cup 2026 live playoffs draw
All times ET
7:50 a.m.: That concludes today's draw proceedings. You can see the full brackets for each playoff below, with kickoff dates and times to be confirmed at a later date.
European playoff draw, brackets
Intercontinental playoff draw, brackets
7:46 a.m.: Kickoff times for all these games "will be announced in due course", according to FIFA's draw conductor.
7:42 a.m.: Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina will host the Path A final; Ukraine or Sweden will host the Path B final; Slovakia or Kosovo will host the Path C final; and Czechia or Republic of Ireland will host the Path D final.
7:41 a.m.: So, there we have it:
Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania
Path C: Slovakia vs. Kosovo, Turkey vs. Romania
Path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland
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 playoffs will fill the final six spots. Italy are the biggest name among those still hoping to get there: they can't miss the finals for the third time running, surely...?
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.: Welcome to today's World Cup playoffs draw! The ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland will determine the pathways for both the European and inter-confederation tournaments, which will take place next March.
Teams in the World Cup playoffs
Six teams will contest the intercontinental playoff, producing the final two World Cup participants. In the UEFA edition, 16 teams will compete for another two spots in the tournament proper.
UEFA
| Nation | Qualified via | FIFA rank |
| Slovakia | Group A runner-up | 46 |
| Kosovo | Group B runner-up | 84 |
| Denmark | Group C runner-up | 20 |
| Ukraine | Group D runner-up | 27 |
| Turkey | Group E runner-up | 26 |
| Rep. Of Ireland | Group F runner-up | 62 |
| Poland | Group G runner-up | 33 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Group H runner-up | 75 |
| Italy | Group I runner-up | 9 |
| Wales | Group J runner-up | 34 |
| Albania | Group K runner-up | 61 |
| Czechia | Group L runner-up | 44 |
| Romania | UEFA Nations League | 47 |
| Sweden | UEFA Nations League | 40 |
| Northern Ireland | UEFA Nations League | 69 |
| North Macedonia | UEFA Nations League | 65 |
Intercontinental
| Nation | Confederation | Qualified via | FIFA rank |
| Iraq | AFC | AFC playoff winner | 57 |
| DR Congo | CAF | CAF playoff winner | 60 |
| Jamaica | CONCACAF | Highest-ranking group runner-up | 68 |
| Suriname | CONCACAF | Second highest-ranking group runner-up | 126 |
| Bolivia | CONMEBOL | Seventh-place finisher | 76 |
| New Caledonia | OFC | Qualifying tournament runner-up | 150 |
MORE: All you need to know about December's World Cup draw
World Cup 2026 playoffs schedule, brackets
AllSportsPeople will update this page when the draw has concluded and the pathways through the two playoff tournaments have been set.
UEFA playoffs schedule
The semifinals are projected to take place on March 26, 2026, with the finals of each pathway on March 31.
Pathway 1
Semifinal
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Final
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 31, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Pathway 2
Semifinal
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Final
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 31, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Pathway 3
Semifinal
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Final
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 31, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Pathway 4
Semifinal
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
| March 26, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Final
| Date | Match | Location |
| March 31, 2026 | TBD | TBD |
Intercontinental playoffs schedule
We knew before the draw that DR Congo and Iraq have received byes to the final of their respective pathways as the highest-ranked teams involved.
All games are expected to be staged in Mexico, at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.
Pathway 1
Semifinal
| Date | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | TBD | TBA |
| March 2026 | TBD | TBA |
Final
| Date | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | DR Congo vs. Semifinal winner | TBA |
Pathway 2
Semifinal
| Date | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | TBD | TBA |
| March 2026 | TBD | TBA |
Final
| Date | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | Iraq vs. Semifinal winner | TBA |
MORE: Updated list of teams to have qualified for the biggest World Cup ever
When are the World Cup playoffs match dates confirmed?
The precise date and kickoff times of the games should be confirmed in the 48 hours following Thursday's draw.
When is the World Cup group-stage draw?
The draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup is on December 5, 2025. It will be held in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. At 12 p.m. ET.
When does the 2026 World Cup start?
The opening game of the World Cup will take place on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford on July 19.