Among the 16 teams from Europe slated to play in the expanded 48-team World Cup, 12 group winners from UEFA qualifiers have registered their name in the greatest footballing show on the planet, hosted in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. The final four spots are yet to be decided with 16 teams, including the 12 group runners-up and four best-ranked UEFA Nations League group winners outside of the top two in the qualifying groups, going through the UEFA playoffs to determine the remaining spots. The teams were divided into four play-off paths, with each containing four teams. The play-off path features two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final, with the winners of each final qualifying for the group stages of the 2026 World Cup. The UEFA playoff draw was conducted a day after the conclusion of the qualifiers on 20th November 2025 at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich in Switzerland.
The sixteen teams were placed into four pots according to their FIFA rankings, with the teams advancing via the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League interim were placed in Pot 4. Pots 1 and 2 were seeded, whereas Pots 3 and 4 were unseeded. In the play-off semifinals of each path, the Pot 1 team will play a Pot 4 team, while Pot 2 teams will similarly clash with Pot 3. Pot 1 team included four-time World Cup winners Italy, Denmark, Turkey and Ukraine, while Pot 2 involved Poland, Wales, Czechia and Slovakia. The Republic of Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo form Pot 3, whereas the best four Nations League winners, Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia, and Northern Ireland, who didn’t qualify for the finals through their qualifying groups, are in Pot 4. The semifinals of the playoffs will be played on 26th March 2026, with the finals four days later on 31st March 2026.
Here is the full European Playoffs Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026:
Path A
Semifinal
26 March 2026
SF1: Italy vs Northern Ireland (TBD)
Italy is going through the UEFA playoffs for World Cup qualification for the third consecutive time, having been beaten to the automatic spot for the finals once again. This time, it was Norway that took the spot, beating them home and away by an aggregate score of 7-1. The Azzurri have experienced nightmare exits from this stage in their last two attempts, losing to Sweden in the playoffs for the 2018 finals and suffering a shock loss to North Macedonia for the 2022 edition, which means they have not qualified for the World Cup stage since the 2014 edition hosted in Brazil. Not qualifying for yet another tournament will be a hard pill to swallow, so they will be wishing that drawing with less threatening opponents, Northern Ireland, this time in the playoff semifinals, will help them cut the long exodus from the global stage.
However, Northern Ireland is the very side that stopped Italy from getting the automatic spot for the 2022 edition, which they lost to Switzerland after a goalless draw in this fixture on the final day. So, the Green and White Army are not to be taken lightly, as they showed in their qualifying group, as they finished just three points away from the playoff spot despite beating the second-placed Slovakia at home with a 3-1 loss to Germany away, the only time they leaked more than a goal in this qualifying campaign. Their excellent Nations League campaign, by winning Group C, gave them another chance to dream of going to the finals for the first time since 1986. Downing Italy to make the playoff finals will be a gigantic step toward fulfilling it, although this game being on the opponent’s soil will require a big effort for them.
SF2: Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina - Cardiff City Stadium
The second semifinal of Path A involves Wales hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina, with both sides looking to add to their only World Cup appearance in their history. The Cymru army was placed in a difficult qualifying group with Belgium, North Macedonia and Liechtenstein, but they seized the playoff spot with a stunner after a 7-1 hammering of North Macedonia in their final group game of the qualifying campaign. Managed by the nation’s legend, Craig Bellamy, the side will be hoping to win the semifinal tie at home to get another home advantage in the final, although facing a revived Bosnia will be a tough hurdle to cross, regardless. However, Wales will be licking at the prospect of qualifying for back-to-back World Cups after making their debut in the last edition hosted in Qatar.
Likewise, Bosnia were in a closely contested battle with Austria for the automatic spot and was looking to book a direct ticket to the World Cup when they were leading Ralf Ragnick’s side at half-time in the final qualifying group game. However, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, which means the Dragons had to settle for the second spot and enter the playoffs. Overall, it was a decent campaign for Sergej Barbarez’s team, who lost just one game and finished just two points away from the top spot, certainly better than their forgetful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. However, their away form will be a bit of concern with just two wins in the last 11 games as they travel to Wales for the semifinals in their bid to return to the global stage after 2014.
Final
31 March 2026
Winner SF 2 vs Winner SF 1
The winner of the semifinal two between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina will get the home advantage in the Path A playoff final, which means Italy will have to play the final away from home should they qualify, while it will be back-to-back away trips for Northern Ireland should they pull off an upset in the semifinal one. Apart from Wales, it will be a chance for others to end their long stay out of the World Cup, with the Azzurri hoping that it is finally their time.
Path B
Semifinal
26 March 2026
SF3: Ukraine vs Sweden (TBD)
Ukraine will be entering the World Cup qualification playoffs for the second time in a row, hoping they get the job this time to return to the finals after their quarterfinal finish in 2006. The Blue and Yellow finished second in their qualifying group, six points behind top-placed France but three points ahead of third-place Iceland, whom they beat 2-0 in the final group game to secure the playoff spot. Apart from the two losses to Les Blues, Ukraine has been quite solid in their qualifying campaign and is looking to keep the momentum against a disgruntled Sweden in the playoff semifinal. They have overcome the first challenge in the playoffs in the last edition and will want to repeat against a morale-down opposition, making the venue a fortress wherever they are scheduled to play as the home team. Ukraine has not been playing at home since the Russian invasion started in 2022.
Sweden has been shambolic in the World Cup qualifying campaign, probably enduring their worst one in their history, finishing bottom of their group without registering a single win. They collected just two points and even suffered two shockingly defeats to minnows Kosovo, who took the second spot while also being demolished twice by Switzerland, who grabbed the automatic spot. In any other situation, the Blue and Yellow would have bid goodbye to their World Cup dreams, but they remarkably have a chance to make it to the finals after getting a place in the UEFA playoffs courtesy of winning their Nations League group. The team has ushered in a new era by appointing Graham Potter to pull them out of the misery and it is left to see whether the team can make this second chance pay for an outstanding turnaround to avoid losing out on back-to-back finals.
SF4: Poland vs Albania (TBD)
Like most teams, Poland is also making a back-to-back playoff appearance to qualify for their 10th World Cup in history. Even after drawing with the Netherlands in both games, the Eagles finished three points behind the automatic spot with the defeat to Finland at the start of qualifying and an inferior goal difference, forcing them to take the difficult route to the finals. However, Robert Lewandowski and co will be the favourites for the playoff semifinal tie, having the home advantage, where they haven’t lost since November 2024. Their opposition, Albania, has been on the rise and after a spectacular Euro campaign, only their second in their history, are now bidding to see them in the World Cup for the first time. The Red and Blacks only lost to England in their qualifying group, but finished a point ahead of Serbia to take the playoff spot. Although they have a difficult away trip for the semifinals, Albania has shown their mettle and will be looking to make the playoff final by any means.
Final
31 March 2026
Winner SF 3 vs Winner SF 4
Ukraine or Sweden will get the home advantage in the playoff final of Path B, which can be crucial in the do-or-die battle to qualify for the finals, although Poland and Albania both carry strong away form, which might make it a very even contest.
Path C
Semifinal
26 March 2026
SF5: Turkey vs Romania (TBD)
Carrying world-beating talents like Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler in a golden generation with a promising manager in charge, Vincenzo Montella, Turkey is the favourite to lock their names in the group stage of the World Cup from Path C of UEFA playoffs. The Crescent-Stars were unlucky to be grouped with the European champions Spain, who took the automatic spot as, other than losing to La Roja, they won four of the remaining five games and also drew with the 2010 World Cup winners in the final group game to take the second spot. The fact that they were the only side to prevent the rampaging machine and score against them in the qualifiers showed the quality of the side now looking to get the job done to make it to the global stage for the first time since 2002, when they took third place in the competition.
Turkey will receive the home advantage in the playoff semifinal, which makes the task harder for Romania, who are actually in the playoffs due to their Nations League exploits. The Tricolours finished third in their qualifying group behind Austria and Bosnia and apart from a shock win against the former at home, did not provide much competitiveness. Their away form in the qualifiers was disastrous as they failed to get a single win, with the 2-2 draw against Cyprus being the only time they did not leave empty-handed. Hence, it will be a difficult task for the Romanians to get past an excellent Turkey team in the playoff semifinal, with their first appearance in the World Cup since 1998 at stake.
SF6: Slovakia vs Kosovo (TBD)
Slovakia seemed to be completing the most magnificent World Cup qualifying campaign when they stunned Germany at home in their opening group game of the qualifiers, but then a 2-0 loss away to Northern Ireland in the third game turned the tables. To make matters worse, they were hammered 6-0 by Germany in their must-win game to take the top spot, which condemned them to a second-place finish, thus entering the playoffs. Coming off such a crushing loss and taking the hard route to the finals, where they want to be again after 2010, will be immensely challenging. Slovakia do have the home advantage, where they haven’t suffered a defeat since March 2024 or a competitive loss since September 2023, but they are facing a team that is spoiling the party for sides bigger than them.
Very few would have predicted Kosovo to be in the UEFA playoffs, in the running to qualify for the World Cup, yet the 80th-ranked nation with a population of just 1.6 million is here defying the odds. The Dardanians stunned everyone by grabbing second place in their group ahead of Slovenia, whom they beat at home and Sweden after securing wins in both fixtures against them. They finished just three points behind top-placed Switzerland, whom they also drew at home, finishing with 11 points from six games. Kosovo have suffered just one loss in a year, showing that they will be a side to watch out for with an away trip for this playoff semifinal not ruffling feathers. They will be desperate to make their debut on the world stage, which will be their first major tournament in history as an independent nation, after an explosive rise since joining FIFA in 2016.
Final
31 March 2026
Winner SF 6 vs Winner SF 5
Turkey or Romania will have to travel to either Slovakia or Kosovo for the Path C playoff final, with the latter providing an intimidating venue should they qualify. Turkey is the favourite to progress, but others could easily derail their chances to make their dream come true.
Path D
Semifinal
26 March 2026
SF7: Denmark vs North Macedonia - Parken Stadium
After being on the brink of securing a third straight qualification to the World Cup, seventh overall, Denmark fumbled the chance to book an automatic spot to the 2026 edition with a late collapse in their qualifying campaign. Collecting a remarkable ten points from the first four games, the Danes needed a win against winless and bottom-placed Belarus to secure their path in the finals, yet they drew 2-2 with a side 78 FIFA rankings behind them. Still with destiny in their hands, they needed a point in the final group game against Scotland away to claim the top spot. However, even after making it 2-2 in the 82nd minute, they conceded two late goals to let the Tartan Army overtake them and relegated them to the playoff spot. The one thing that might work in their favour for the Danes now that they will play the playoff semifinal at home against a team that is coming off a heavy defeat.
North Macedonia also faced a similar fate as that of their playoff opposition, beginning strongly and then letting it slip in the last few games. In a challenging group, they even drew with Wales and Belgium in the opening exchanges, but then they faltered after drawing with the Red Devils for the second time in October. The 1-1 result against Kazakhstan meant they dropped more points and when they got the chance to claim the second place, they extraordinarily surrendered to Wales with an eyebrow-raising 7-1 defeat in the final group game to slump to third. Their qualifying campaign was otherwise over, but for their Nations League ranking, which allowed them to compete in the playoffs. Having gone through the same way before and stunning Italy in the semifinal stage, the Lions are hoping for another similar outcome, although they have to do it in the opposition’s den this time.
SF8: Czechia vs Republic of Ireland (TBD)
Czechia finished second behind a dominating Croatia team with a 6-0 thrashing of Gibraltar in the final group game, stamping their place in the playoffs. Despite a drubbing by the table toppers early in the qualifiers and a shock loss to Faroe Islands, the Nároďák managed to hold their ground steady for most parts and are aiming for a first World Cup since 2006. They will be happy to have a home advantage in the playoff semifinal. Despite that, the challenge will be severe as they will face a team that has scripted one of the most remarkable tales in the qualifiers. Ireland looked to be struggling in a group containing a spirited Hungary side and Nations League winners Portugal after failing to pick a single win in the first three games. However, they turned their campaign around, first taking a revenge victory against Armenia and then stunning Portugal 2-0 at home. Troy Parrott scored a memorable brace in a historic night for the Irish football team, but his value was only going to rise when he completed a stunning hat-trick in stoppage time to eliminate Hungary from the race and grab the playoff spot instead. The Boys in Green will be hoping for more Parrott magic to get them to the playoff final and possibly a first World Cup appearance since 2002.
Final
31 March 2026
Winner SF 8 vs Winner SF 7
Czechia will have the chance to remain at their home for the playoff final of Path D if they win the semifinal tie, while the Republic of Ireland will be desperate to go through to use their hostile atmosphere to their advantage. In any case, Denmark or North Macedonia have to make a daunting trip. In short, this will be the most remarkable path to watch in the entire playoffs.
You can check below about the team has been qualified for 2026 FIFA World Cup: FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualified Teams
