Jakarta –
Apart from the 32 teams that have qualified directly for the 2026 World Cup, there are also those who still have a chance to appear in North America even though they have to go through a roundabout route, namely the playoff zone. Anyone?
For your information, there are two types of playoffs that will be held in March 2026, namely the European zone and the inter-confederation zone. There are six tickets up for grabs by those fighting from this route, with four of them belonging to UEFA.
The European zone playoffs are filled with 16 teams, namely 12 runners-up in the 2026 World Cup Qualification group and four teams with the best rankings in the 2025 UEFA Nations League who failed to finish in the top two in qualifying.
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The 16 teams are divided into four pots and will later be drawn into four lanes, each containing four teams. Later there will be a semifinal and final format in a single game system, with the final winner in each route qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the inter-confederation playoffs compete for the remaining two tickets. They consist of one Asian team, one African team, one Oceania team, one Conmebol team and two Concacaf teams who have qualified from their respective zones.
The six teams will be divided into two lanes containing three teams. The two teams with the highest FIFA rankings will immediately enter the final in each route, while the other four teams will be drawn to meet each other in the semifinals.
The two Concacaf teams, considering they are the host region for the 2026 World Cup, will be on separate paths, making it possible for both to qualify simultaneously. The inter-confederation playoffs will reportedly be held in Mexico.
The draw for the two-zone playoff will be held on Thursday (20/11/2025) at FIFA headquarters located in Zurich, Switzerland. So far the participants are not yet complete because there are still a number of qualifying matches which will only be completed on November 19.
The following is a list of teams that have qualified:
UEFA zone playoffs
- Ukraina (runner-up Grup D)
- Republic of Ireland (Group F runner-up)
- Italy (runner-up Grup I)
- Albania (runner-up Grup K)
- Czech Republic (Group L runner-up)
- Romania (UEFA Nations League ranking)
- Sweden (UEFA Nations League rankings)
- Northern Ireland (UEFA Nations League rankings)
- …
- …
- …
- …
- …
- …
- …
- …
Inter-confederation playoffs
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (Africa)
- Bolivia (Conmebol)
- New Caledonia (Oceania)
- … (Asia)
- … (Concacaf)
- … (Concacaf)
(adp/adp)
