Italy will host Northern Ireland in the 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final, with the victors to visit Wales or Bosnia & Herzegovina in the final stage.
Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland will travel to Czech Republic and will host the winners of Denmark’s tie against North Macedonia.
In the inter-confederation play-offs, Jamaica will play New Caledonia ahead of a potential play-off final against DR Congo, with Iraq playing the winners of Bolivia against Suriname.
The European play-offs consist of eight single-leg semi-finals and four finals, of which the four winners will advance to next year’s finals in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The draw has been divided into fourth paths, featuring one team from each of the four seeded pots, with the winners of each path semi-final facing each other in a final.
The semi-finals and finals will be played on March 26 and 31 respectively.
European play-off semi-final draw:
Path A
- Italy vs Northern Ireland
- Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Winner of Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina with home advantage in final
Path B
- Ukraine vs Sweden
- Poland vs Albania
Winner of Ukraine vs Sweden with home advantage in final
Path C
- Turkey vs Romania
- Slovakia vs Kosovo
Winner of Slovakia vs Kosovo with home advantage in final
Path D
- Denmark vs North Macedonia
- Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
Winner of Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland with home advantage in final
Inter-confederation play-off draw:
DR Congo and Iraq, the two highest FIFA-ranked sides, have been seeded and move straight into the final of their separate pathways. They will each face a winner of the semi-final draw to determine a place in the finals.
Jamaica and Suriname have been kept apart due to both being members of the same federation (Concacaf).
The matches will be played across the final week in March in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico, respectively.
Semi-finals:
- New Caledonia vs Jamaica (winners to play DR Congo)
- Bolivia vs Suriname (winners to play Iraq)
Finals:
- DR Congo vs Winner of semi-final 1
- Iraq vs Winner of semi-final 2
How did the European draw work?
Europe has historically been allocated the most slots at the World Cup, and the expansion from a 32- to a 48-team tournament sees the number go from 11 to 16.
In the qualification phase, nations were divided into six groups of four and six groups of five teams, with the group winners qualifying automatically.
England, Portugal, Norway, Croatia, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Scotland, and the Netherlands all qualified directly as group winners.
The 12 group runners-up qualified for the play-off system, in which they have been joined by the four highest-ranked 2024-25 Nations League group winners that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group (based on their Nations League interim overall ranking).
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Wales, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine all reached the play-offs through their second-place group finishes.
Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia all reached the play-offs courtesy of their Nations League performance.
The play-offs were decided by seeding pots in line with FIFA rankings, with teams from pot one drawn at home against teams from pot four, while teams from pot two hosting a team from pot three in the semi-finals.
Each of the four play-off paths will feature one team from each pot, with the semi-final winners from those paths facing each other in that pathway’s final.
As part of UEFA’s scheduling, losing semi-finalists will face a friendly match against each other on the day of the path finals.
What about the inter-confederation play-offs?
There are two remaining non-European World Cup spots, which will be decided by the six-team inter-confederation play-offs, consisting of DR Congo, New Caledonia, Bolivia, Iraq, Jamaica and Suriname.
Two nations, DR Congo and Iraq, were seeded and automatically advanced to the finals on separate paths. The remaining four teams were unseeded.
The unseeded teams will consist of a pair of single-leg semi-finals, with the two winners advancing to the finals. The two final winners will be the 47th and 48th nations at the 2026 men’s World Cup.
The play-offs will be held in March in Mexico, though exact dates have yet to be confirmed.