Khaberni - After the qualification of the Qatar and Saudi Arabia teams to the World Cup 2026, the Iraq and UAE teams moved on to the Asian playoffs, and the winner between them advances to the global playoffs, so what is the system of this complex and long playoff?
The Global Playoff Qualifying for the World Cup 2026
The International Football Association (FIFA) calls the global playoff "the World Cup 2026 Qualifying Playoff Tournament," in which 6 teams compete for the last two qualifying spots for the global event.
Here is a simple explanation of this "mini-tournament" and the teams participating in it:
• Two teams from the CONCACAF North American region (not yet determined).
• One team from Asia (the winner from Iraq vs. UAE matchup).
• One team from Africa (winner from a special playoff involving Gabon, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, held in Morocco).
• Bolivia qualified for the playoff from South America (CONMEBOL).
• New Caledonia qualified for the playoff from the Oceania region.
The Global Playoff System Qualifying for the World Cup 2026
FIFA explained the system of this "mini-tournament":
• Among the six qualifiers for the playoff, the four teams with the lowest rankings in the global ranking will meet in the semifinals of the qualifiers.
• The two highest-ranked teams advance directly to the final match.
• The winners in the final match of the tournament qualify for the World Cup.
The tournament will be held in March 2026 during the international break which extends from the 23rd to the 31st of the month.
The Asian playoff between the UAE and Iraq
• UAE × Iraq (first leg on November 13).
• Iraq × UAE (return leg on November 18).
The African Playoff
Involves the top 4 African national teams that finished second in their qualifying groups for the World Cup 2026:
• Gabon x Nigeria.
• Cameroon x Democratic Republic of Congo.
The teams qualified for World Cup 2026
• Morocco
• Jordan
• Tunisia
• Algeria
• Egypt
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• New Zealand
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Uruguay
• Colombia
• Paraguay
• Ecuador
• Ghana
• Cape Verde
• South Africa
• Senegal
• Ivory Coast
• Japan
• Iran
• South Korea
• Uzbekistan
• Jordan
• Australia
• England
• United States
• Mexico
• Canada.
