The final line-up of the 48 teams that will make up the most exciting World Cup in history will be finalized over the next March period.
But the die has already been cast, and the 22 teams who earned a second chance in the European and intercontinental play-offs already know what path they will have to take to win one of the six tickets still up for grabs.
England captain Harry Kane never tires and dreams of a World Cup
european playoffs
The four teams will be divided among the 16 teams that have qualified for the European play-offs, which will be divided into four different pots. The top 12 teams in the FIFA rankings that finished second in their respective qualifying groups were placed in the first three pots, with the fourth pot consisting of the four teams that qualified via the Nations League. It is worth noting that the teams in pots 1 and 2 will play their semi-finals at home. However, all teams in Pot 1 must play away if they reach the final.
This is what the European playoffs look like.
Key 1:
Semi-final 1: Italy vs. Northern Ireland Semi-final 2: Wales vs. Bosnia (home final)
Key 2:
Semi-final 1: Ukraine vs Sweden (final home) Semi-final 2: Poland vs Albania
Key 3:
Semi-final 1: Türkiye vs Romania Semi-final 2: Slovakia vs Kosovo
Key 4:
Semi-final 1: Denmark vs. North Macedonia Semi-final 2: Czech Republic vs. Republic of Ireland (final host country)
Only three teams participated in last year’s Qatar World Cup: Wales, Poland and Denmark. But all eyes were on Italy’s theoretical rivals heading into their third consecutive play-off…and the precedent wasn’t very encouraging. Apart from Marco Materazzi (2006 champion), who was present at the draw, no member of the Italian squad wanted to play against Sweden (defeated in 2018) or North Macedonia (defeated by Qatar). Both ended up in pot 4. In the end, fate heard their prayers and they ended up facing Northern Ireland in the semi-finals. They would theoretically face either Wales or Bosnia in the final, but the visitors were not so lucky. Sweden, who had a poor qualifying campaign, also had a lot of attention on them. They dodged Italy’s bullet and will face Ukraine in the semi-finals. The winner of this match will play the final at home. The other side of the draw will be between Poland and Albania. In theory, this is the most even tie in the draw. Turkey has earned their third ticket and is seen as the overwhelming favorite to return to the World Cup for the first time since the 2022 Japan-Korea tournament, when they advanced to the semifinals. However, the semi-final pairing (Romania) looks more complicated than the winner of the Slovakia-Kosovo match. Not everything was smooth sailing, as the final was played away.
The final bracket will feature Denmark and North Macedonia on one side, and the Czech Republic and Ireland on the other. Denmark is under pressure after suffering setbacks in the final two qualifying rounds against Belarus and Scotland. Especially considering they will be playing in three consecutive World Cups for the first time in history. However, they must be aware that they will have to play away against Parken in the final as well.
intercontinental playoffs
A total of six teams from five continents participated in the intercontinental playoff to determine the remaining two spots. As in Europe, everything will be decided during the international break scheduled for March next year. The difference is that both the semi-finals and final will be held in Mexico. Specifically, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
This is what the intercontinental playoffs look like.
Key 1:
Democratic Republic of Congo vs New Caledonia/Jamaica
Key 2:
According to the rules, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq were the top two teams in the FIFA rankings, so they would advance directly to the final. Therefore, each opponent will be from the semi-finals, which included Bolivia (CONMEBOL), New Caledonia (Oceania), Jamaica (CONCACAF) and Suriname (CONCACAF). DR Congo will await the winner of the clash between New Caledonia and Jamaica in the final after defying all expectations and defeating Nigeria in the Africa Playoffs final. Meanwhile, Iraq will play the winner of Bolivia and Suriname. New Caledonia and Suriname, the only two teams that have never participated in a World Cup before, will therefore go to different sides in the draw.
