explainer
A breakdown of the intercontinental tournament that will determine two of the final six teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Published March 25, 2026
After months of participating in regional qualifiers and years of trying to realize their biggest dreams, six teams will face off in this week’s inter-confederation play-offs for their final chance to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA playoff tournament will see two teams qualify for a tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States in June and July.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
At the same time, UEFA is holding a separate play-off for the final four teams in European qualification.
This year’s World Cup will be the biggest in history, with 48 countries playing in three countries over five weeks, but with six spots still available, there remains one final challenge for some hopefuls.
Which teams will participate in the Intercontinental Playoffs?
Iraq Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Bolivia New Caledonia Jamaica Suriname
How does the FIFA Playoff Tournament work?
The bottom four nations of Bolivia, New Caledonia, Jamaica and Suriname will play two semi-finals, with the winners advancing to the final and facing one of the top two teams (Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq).
The team that wins these two games will advance to the World Cup.
What is the schedule for the FIFA Interconfederation Playoffs tournament?
Route 1: New Caledonia vs Jamaica on Thursday 22:00 GMT. The winner will play against DRC.
Route 2: Bolivia vs. Suriname on Friday at 03:00 GMT. The winner will play against Iraq.
Final 1: DRC vs TBA, Tuesday 21:00 GMT.
Final 2: Iraq vs TBD, Wednesday 03:00 GMT.
Where will the tournament be held?
Mexico will host matches in Guadalajara and Monterrey, which are also host cities for the FIFA World Cup.
Which team is the favorite to qualify for the World Cup?
Naturally, the two pre-determined finalists, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will be the favorites to qualify for the World Cup, based on FIFA rankings and team strength.
The 2007 Arab Cup winners are aiming to qualify for their second World Cup, their first appearance in the 1986 Mexico final, despite preparations being hampered by the United States and Israel’s war against Iran.
Meanwhile, DRC is among the top 50 teams in the world and 9th in Africa. Their last appearance in the World Cup was in 1974, when they played for Zaire, formerly known as Zaire, and were eliminated in the group stage.
DRC will be hoping to repeat their success in regional qualifiers against opponents such as Nigeria and Cameroon and end their wait to qualify for the World Cup.
When and where will the opening game of the World Cup be held?
The tournament will open on June 11th at 3pm (21:00 GMT) at the Mexico City Stadium, with Mexico facing South Africa.
When and where will the World Cup final be held?
The final game will be held at MetLife Stadium, known as New York-New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, on July 19th at 3pm (8pm GMT).
What are the groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Group A:
Mexico South Africa South Africa Denmark/Macedonia/Czech Republic/Ireland
Group B:
Canada Switzerland Qatar Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C:
Brazil Morocco Scotland Haiti
Group D:
America Australia Paraguay Turkiye/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo
Group E:
Germany Ecuador Ivory Coast Curacao
Group F:
Netherlands Japan Tunisia Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania
Group G:
Belgium Iran Egypt New Zealand
Group H:
Spain Uruguay Saudi Arabia Cape Verde
Group I:
France Senegal Norway Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname
Group J:
Argentina Austria Algeria Jordan
Group K:
Portugal Colombia Uzbekistan DRC/Jamaica/New Caledonia
Group L:
England Croatia Panama Ghana
