World Cup play-offs: Who can still qualify, how does it work and learn how to watch | Football

The ultimate six places on the 2026 World Cup are up for grabs this week, as two play-off tournaments complete the lineup for this summer’s tournament.

4 of the spots will go to European nations, with Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all within the hunt.

Craig Bellamy’s side want to qualify for successive World Cups for th first time ever having appeared on the 2022 edition in Qatar.

And elsewhere, 4-time champions Italy will look to avoid the embarrassing feat of missing out on a World Cup for a 3rd consecutive time.

Meanwhile, two places will probably be reserved for the winners of a brand new intercontinental tournament hosted in Mexico.

Latest Caledonia and Suriname could reach the tournament for the primary time from the intercontinental tournament, while Kosovo and Albania are also vying to qualify for the primary time through the European play-offs.

Here’s the way it all works.

How does the European play-offs work?

The European play-offs consist of 4 ‘paths’, with each rewarding one side with a spot at next summer’s World Cup.

The 16 teams – 12 runners-up from qualifying and 4 based on UEFA Nations League performances – will play eight one-off semi-finals after which a winner-takes-all final.

The best-ranked teams host the semi-finals, while the ultimate hosts were determined by a draw. The semi-finals happen on Thursday, 26 March and the finals on Tuesday, 31 March.

European play-offs

Path A

Semi-final: Italy v Northern Ireland
Semi-final: Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina v Italy/Northern Ireland

Path B

Semi-final: Ukraine v Sweden
Semi-final: Poland v Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden v Poland/Albania

Path C

Semi-final: Turkey v Romania
Semi-final: Slovakia v Kosovo
Final: Turkey/Romania v Slovakia/Kosovo

Path D

Semi-final: Denmark v North Macedonia
Semi-final: Czechia v Republic of Ireland
Final: Denmark/North Macedonia v Czechia/Republic of Ireland

Wales host Bosnia-Herzegovina of their semi-final, but face a potentially tricky encounter with Italy if Gennaro Gattuso’s side can get past Northern Ireland at home.

The Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, face a visit to the Czech Republic for his or her semi-final, and will face either Denmark or North Macedonia in the ultimate in Dublin.

The 4 European play-off winners will enter World Cup groups A, B, D, and F.

How concerning the Intercontinental play-offs?

The ultimate two places in North America this summer will probably be decided by the intercontinental play-offs, held in Mexico and featuring countries from everywhere in the world.

The lineup features two teams from CONCACAF (Jamaica, Suriname), and one each from Asia (Iraq), Africa (DR Congo), South America (Bolivia), and Oceania (Latest Caledonia).

These play-offs feature two ‘paths’, with the 4 lowest-ranked nations participating within the semi-finals before facing the 2 highest-ranked teams (DR Congo and Iraq) in a final.

The semi-finals happen on Thursday, 26 March and the finals on Tuesday, 31 March, with the play-off winners added into groups I and K.

watch on TV and live stream

Viewers in the UK seeking to watch the house nations can tune in on the BBC or online via BBC iPlayer.

BBC Two and iPlayer will broadcast the Wales match, while BBC Three and iPlayer will show Northern Ireland’s encounter.

Ireland’s clash with Czechia will probably be shown on Prime Video’s pay-per-view service, with pricing starting at £2.49 per game.

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