Akin Ayomide
The race to the 2026 FIFA World Cup intensified on Thursday as both the intercontinental and European playoffs draws were conducted, setting the stage for a tense and dramatic qualification finale across continents.
With slots in the expanded 48-team tournament on the line, nations now know the exact routes they must navigate to book their tickets to the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The intercontinental playoffs were the first to be decided, producing two intriguing paths. In Path 1, New Caledonia will face Jamaica in the semifinal, with the winner advancing to meet DR Congo in the final for a place at the World Cup. Over in Path 2, Bolivia will clash with Suriname in the semifinal, and the victor will go on to play Iraq in the final.
The intercontinental playoff tournament that will take place during the FIFA international window from March 23 through March 31.
New Caledonia vs Jamaica (Winner faces DR Congo)
Bolivia vs Suriname (Winner faces Iraq)
Attention then shifted towards Europe, where the final set of World Cup hopefuls learned their fate.
The UEFA playoff structure remains one of the most unforgiving qualifying routes in international football. The play-offs are contested as single-leg knockout matches, and each path is formed by two semi-final pairings: Pot 1 vs Pot 4 and Pot 2 vs Pot 3. Seeded clubs are drawn at home for the semi-finals, while the venue for each final is selected by an earlier draw. Only one of the semi-final winners advances to the route final.
The European semi-finals are set to take place on Thursday, 26 March 2026, followed by the decisive finals on Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
Here are the completed European playoff draws:
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
Winner of each fixture in a path would face the winner of the other fixture in the same path. Four eventual winners join the other 16 teams that have qualified directly from the group stage qualifiers.
With all paths now confirmed across continents, the countdown begins.