The inter-confederation play-offs will determine the final two qualification spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be played in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Except for UEFA, who have a different playoff to determine the final teams from Europe, each confederation received one playoff slot, with two additional slots given to the confederation of the host association, CONCACAF. Six teams will battle it out for the final places, namely DR Congo from CAF, Bolivia from CONMEBOL, Iraq from AFC, New Caledonia from OFC and Jamaica and Suriname from CONCACAF. The playoffs will follow two pathways to determine the teams going into international football’s premier competition, starting from June 2026.
The teams are categorised as seeded and unseeded based on the FIFA rankings. The highest-ranked nations, DR Congo and Iraq, are seeded and receive a bye to the playoff finals in their respective paths. The others will have to come through the semifinals to determine the teams facing them in the final. The inter-confederation play-offs will act as a preparatory event for the World Cup, less than three months before the main tournament. The two semifinals of the inter-confederation playoffs are scheduled to be played on 26 March 2026, with the finals three days later on 31 March 2026. Mexico, one of the co-hosts of the World Cup, will host these matches at two venues that will also host the World Cup games, Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.
Seeded
DR Congo (CAF)
The highest-ranked nation in the FIFA World Cup 2026 inter-confederation playoffs in DR Congo and they will be one of the two seeded teams automatically qualifying for the playoff final of their respective path. The journey for the African nation is no less fascinating after they beat some heavyweight names of the continent to make this stage. The Leopards came second in their CAF qualifying group behind Senegal, only missing out on the automatic spot by two points, which let them enter the second round as one of the best four runners-up, amassing 22 points from 10 games. The side faced the second most successful African nation in Cameroon in the second round semifinal and, relying on their impressive solidity, clinched victory with a last-minute winner from centre-back Chancel Mbemba. This is not the last time the captain will inspire, as he would go on to smash the winning penalty in the tense shootout against the six-time World Cupper Nigeria in the second round final after it ended 1-1 after extra-time to send his side to the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2026 edition.
Iraq (AFC)
The second of the seeded teams directly going to the inter-confederation playoffs final of their path is Iraq from the AFC confederation. The Lions of Mesopotamia also had to complete a lot of hurdles and required a late drama to grab the spot. The side had a managerial change midway in the qualifiers after a poor start to their third round of the AFC qualifiers, with former Australia national team boss Graham Arnold stepping in and completely changing the fate of the team. From fear of missing out completely, Iraq only missed out on the automatic World Cup places by just a point, but qualified for the fourth round, finishing third in the group. However, even after not losing a single game in the next round, they were beaten to the automatic spot by Asian giants Saudi Arabia, so they had to battle it out with the UAE in the AFC playoffs to get into the inter-confederation playoffs at least. There, Graham’s side made sure they didn't lose out on the opportunity, as after a 1-1 draw away at the UAE, they made a crazy comeback at home to seal the deal. After going down in the 52nd minute through a Caio Lucas strike, substitute Mohanad Ali equalised for Iraq before they found the dramatic winner in the form of a penalty through Amir Al Ammari in the jaw-dropping 17th minute of stoppage time.
Unseeded
Jamaica (CONCACAF)
Not qualifying for the World Cup directly comes as a massive disappointment for Jamaica, especially since they, along with Trinidad and Tobago, were the only teams in their third-round group of the CONCACAF qualifiers to have previous experience playing in the finals. The two forgettable results against Curacao, a 2-0 loss away and then playing a goalless draw in the reverse clash at home in the final game, which let the opposition win the group and sealed a place in the group stages of the 2026 World Cup, became the stumbling block in their qualifying journey. The Reggae Boyz had to settle for an interconfederation playoffs, which is a tougher path to take to fulfil their dream of returning to the World Cup stage after 1998. They will also have to do it with a new manager in the house, as Steve McClaren resigned from his role.
Bolivia (CONMEBOL)
As if 3,660m high La Paz above sea level wasn’t enough, Bolivia moved to their new stadium in El Alto, which is about 4,150m above sea level or 1,840m more than La Paz, to make themselves a far more indestructible force at home. It helped them massively in the CONMEBOL qualifiers as they secured seventh place on the table to get the interconfederation playoff spot, depending solely on their home form. While they lost eight times away, they suffered just two defeats at home, indicating how the height advantage in their stadium helped them. Bolivia clinched five victories at home, with some of them coming against teams that finished above them on the table, like Colombia, who pipped them by a point to take the final automatic spot and Brazil, whom they beat in the final qualifying game to secure their place.
Suriname (CONCACAF)
Suriname had an impressive qualifying campaign but just fell short of the automatic spot to the 2026 World Cup by three points. They will instead play the interconfederation playoffs to have a chance to be on the global stage for the first time in their history. Suriname lost just one game in the third round of the CONCACAF playoffs, even drawing with Panama in the two clashes and none in the previous round, showing their excellent form coming into the playoffs, even though that defeat came in the final qualifying game. They are the second-lowest-ranked team in this playoff.
New Caledonia (OFC)
Representatives from OFC, New Caledonia, qualified for the interconfederation playoff after reaching the final of their confederation’s qualifiers. Les Cagous topped their qualifying group with ease, staying unbeaten in those games, but they lost to New Zealand 3-0 in the final, who earned the automatic spot, despite holding the Kiwis goalless at half-time. New Caledonia are the lowest-ranked nation in this interconfederation playoffs, at 149th as per the latest FIFA rankings.
Pathway 1
Semifinal
26 March 2026
New Caledonia vs Jamaica - Estadio Akron, Zapopan
New Caledonia will face a tough opposition in Jamaica in the semifinal of the first path, with the Caribbean nation desperate to write the wrongs of their qualifiers and cannot afford a slip-up against the weakest team in the playoff. Les Cagous have fewer expectations lying on their shoulders, which could help them create a miracle in an attempt to reach the final, although the Reggae Boyz are favourites for the tie despite having a lot of dressing room issues to sort out.
Final
31 March 2026
Semifinal winner vs DR Congo - Estadio Akron, Zapopan
DR Congo, automatically qualified to the final of the first path due to their higher FIFA ranking, might have got the easiest path in the interconfederation playoffs with a game away from making their debut at the world stage. Neither New Caledonia nor Jamaica looks to be equipped enough to dislodge the 56th-ranked nation’s hope to make it to the showpiece for the second time and first since 1974, but the playoffs have witnessed a lot of surprises before and they would like to add another one.
Pathway 2
Semifinal
26 March 2026
Bolivia vs Suriname - Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
Estadio BBVA is not El Alto, as it has an elevation of only 1,765 feet above sea level, but height should not be a factor for Bolivia to get past Suriname in this semifinal clash. The South American outfit has struggled massively away from home, but facing a side that is 73 ranks below them should not come with any excuse. Suriname has been decent in their qualifying campaign, yet only an extraordinary effort could place them in the playoff final of the second path.
Final
31 March 2026
Semifinal winner vs Iraq - Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
Bolivia might have needed the height for the final, as they would play an in-form Iraq team, who directly made it to this stage because of their high ranking, provided Suriname didn't do the unexpected. Being a South American nation, they could get the upper hand over the Asian team as they look for a fourth World Cup appearance and first since 1994, which was also hosted in the USA. However, Iraq looks like a more formidable team, having lost just once under Graham Arnold, that too against South Korea, making themselves the slight favourites to add to their World Cup appearance in 1986, which was hosted by the same nation that is hosting these playoff games, Mexico.
