Khaberni - After 42 teams have secured their places in the finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 6 spots are still remaining to be determined through the global and European playoffs, scheduled for next March.
The European playoff is set to see 4 teams advance to the World Cup, which will be held next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, in addition to two other teams qualifying from the global playoff.
A total of 16 teams will compete in the European playoff, while the global playoff will include 6 teams from different continents around the world.
12 teams have advanced to the European playoff after finishing second in their UEFA World Cup qualifying groups, along with four teams that were ranked highest in the UEFA Nations League groups, who did not finish first or second in the World Cup qualifiers.
Teams from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Poland, Ireland, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales finished second in their qualifying groups, while teams from Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, and North Macedonia obtained the highest rankings in the UEFA Nations League groups.
The 12 teams that finished second in their groups have been divided into three levels based on the latest FIFA world rankings, while the top-ranked teams from the UEFA Nations League are placed in the fourth level.
The European playoff system dictates that 4 paths are formed, each consisting of 4 teams. According to the draw, one team from the first level will play against a team from the fourth level in a single match in the semi-finals, while one team from the second level will play against a team from the third level in the same round.
The winners of the semi-final in each of the four paths will play in the final round, with the victorious team qualifying directly for the World Cup. Note that the semi-final games will take place on March 26, with the final round occurring five days later.
The levels are as follows:
First Level: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine.
Second Level: Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
Third Level: Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo.
Fourth Level: Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, the six teams participating in the global playoff compete for two World Cup spots, which will be distributed over two paths, each featuring a semi-final and a final match.
In the global playoff, two teams from the CONCACAF (Jamaica and Suriname), who finished as the best second-placed teams in the three groups of their final qualification round, will compete. They will be placed in different paths.
Additionally, one team each from Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Asia (Iraq), South America (Bolivia), and Oceania (New Caledonia) will participate.
The two highest-ranking teams according to the FIFA world rankings, Congo DR and Iraq, will advance directly to the final round, while the four lower-ranked teams will undergo a draw for the semi-finals, with the winners moving to the final round to vie for a World Cup slot.
The global playoff for the World Cup will take place from March 23 to March 31 next year.
