World Cup 2026 play-offs explained: Format, fixtures, schedule, results, who has qualified

Nations vying to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer will learn their fate in the coming days, with more places up for grabs in the European play-offs and beyond.

The World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams for the first time in the tournament's history, offering an additional 16 teams a potential pathway to the tri-nation spectacle across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The final step remaining in terms of deciding which six teams will join those already qualified will be determined in the coming days in the World Cup playoffs.

Which teams have qualified for the FIFA World Cup?

There are the 42 nations that have already secured their place in the World Cup through each association's respective qualifying phase:

Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States.

AFC: Australia, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan.

CAF: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.

CONCACAF: Curaçao, Haiti, Panama.

CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.

OFC: New Zealand.

UEFA: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Which FIFA World Cup spots are yet to be claimed?

Four spots will be claimed by European nations, with the remaining two emerging from a new intercontinental tournament hosted in Mexico. The format involves eight one-off semi-finals, followed by four decisive finals, with the winners progressing.

The teams comprise of 12 group qualifying runners-up and four based on UEFA Nations League performances. The highest-ranked teams will host the semi-finals, while the final hosts were determined by a draw. Here are the European playoff paths:

Path A: Italy vs Northern Ireland, Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina

Path B: Ukraine vs Sweden, Poland vs Albania

Path C: Türkiye vs Slovakia or Kosovo

Path D: Denmark vs North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland

How the intercontinental playoff works

An altered format has been put in place for the intercontinental playoffs, which is officially recognised as the FIFA Play-off Tournament, where two teams will emerge from a field of six.

The lineup features two teams from CONCACAF (Jamaica, Suriname), and one each from Asia (Iraq), Africa (DR Congo), South America (Bolivia), and Oceania (New Caledonia).

The four lowest-ranked nations compete in two semi-finals, with victors advancing to face one of the two highest-ranked teams (DR Congo and Iraq) in a final.

Path 1: New Caledonia vs Jamaica (winner to play DR Congo)

Path 2: Bolivia vs Suriname (winner to play Iraq)

When are the FIFA World Cup play-off finals?

The play-off semi-finals were played on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The play-off finals take place on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

Here are the fixtures and results so far:

Path A: Italy vs Northern Ireland, Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Path B: Ukraine vs Sweden, Poland vs Albania

Path C: Türkiye 1-0 Romania, Slovakia vs Kosovo

Path D: Denmark vs North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland

When is the FIFA World Cup?

The finals will be staged between June, 11 to July 19, 2026.

Which cities will host the 2026 World Cup?

The United States has 11 host cities in total: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle.

Games played in Mexico will be in the cities of Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, while Toronto and Vancouver are Canada's representatives.

The final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New York.