Two spots remain at the 2026 World Cup, and the six teams involved in the FIFA expanded inter-confederation playoffs will be fighting for those spots.
The playoff tournament includes players from five confederations, with Belarus the only region not involved. As World Cup co-hosts, CONCACAF was given an extra spot, which raised the competition number to six teams.
Seeded sides DR Congo and Iraq top their respective paths and move straight to the finals. The rest of the teams, Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, and New Caledonia, will have to play semi-finals first.
The team saw them divided into two sides. In Pathway 1, Jamaica beat New Caledonia 1-0 to set up a match against DR Congo in Guadalajara. On the other hand, Bolivia won 2-1 against Suriname in Pathway 2 and will face Iraq in Monterrey.
Matches will be played in Mexico, one of the 2026 World Cup host countries, and Guadalajara and Monterrey will be the venues. Semi-finals will start on March 26, while both finals will take place on March 31.
The concept is quite simple, and one-leg games will determine each meeting. In case the score is the same after 90 minutes, the game shall continue by way of extra time and, if need be, by penalties. The tournament draw was held in Switzerland on November 20, and it allowed the players to prepare for the qualifying fight.
Because there are only two tickets going to the World Cup, the playoffs will bring fierce competition when the nations battle for a place on football’s biggest stage.
