World Cup 2026 Play-Offs: What You Need to Know About the Upcoming Draw and Format
The excitement surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to build, and with the tournament just around the corner, teams are still battling for the final few spots. One of the key moments in this journey is the World Cup play-off draw, which will determine the last four teams to qualify for next summer's global event. This draw will take place on Thursday, and it is set to shape the paths for teams hoping to secure their place in the tournament. So, how exactly will these play-offs work, and what can we expect?
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, with 16 of them coming from Europe. Twelve of those spots have already been claimed by the winners of the qualifying groups, leaving four places up for grabs through the play-offs. The draw on Thursday will determine how these remaining spots will be contested, as the play-offs will feature 16 teams—12 who finished as runners-up in their qualifying groups, and four who earned their spot thanks to strong performances in the UEFA Nations League.
The play-offs will consist of four distinct "paths," each of which will involve one semi-final and one final. In each path, there will be four teams drawn from four separate pots, with the seeded teams (from Pot 1) receiving a home advantage in their semi-final matches. The first semi-final of each path will see teams from Pot 1 face teams from Pot 4, while Pot 2 will square off against Pot 3. The winners of these semi-finals will then compete for a spot in the World Cup final.
In terms of the timing, the semi-finals will take place on March 26, 2026, at either 17:00 GMT or 19:45 GMT, while the finals will be held just a few days later, on March 31, with kick-off times of 17:00 BST or 19:45 BST.
Now, while you might wonder if being placed in Pot 1 is more advantageous than being in Pot 2, it’s not as big a difference as you might think. Pot 1 teams will be at home for the semi-finals, but the overall draw will determine who gets home advantage for the finals. Pot 4 teams are typically those who did not finish in the top two of their qualification group but still have a strong world ranking or good recent form.
The pots have already been decided based on FIFA's rankings, and here's how they look:
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Pot 1: Italy, Ukraine, Turkey, Denmark
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Pot 2: Wales, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic
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Pot 3: Kosovo, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania
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Pot 4: Romania, Northern Ireland, Sweden, North Macedonia
For teams like Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, the stakes are high. Wales will have the benefit of a home semi-final, while Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be away. This is a crucial advantage in a competition as intense as the World Cup play-offs.
Alongside the European play-offs, there are also inter-confederation play-offs taking place, involving teams from Asia, Africa, Concacaf, South America, and Oceania. These play-offs, which also occur in March 2026, will determine the final two World Cup spots. Countries like Bolivia and New Caledonia are already confirmed for the semi-finals, but the exact line-up will depend on the outcomes of various regional qualifying tournaments.
This year's play-offs are unique in that they are more complicated than previous cycles, with UEFA's Nations League influencing the final spots. Teams who finished outside the automatic qualification spots have a second chance to qualify, but the ranking system and play-off paths will ensure that only the best teams make it through.
The road to the World Cup is never easy, and for teams like Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, every moment counts. The draw this Thursday will set the stage for a dramatic series of matches that will determine which nations will be able to join the USA, Canada, and Mexico on the world’s biggest stage in 2026.
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