Draw complete!
Well, that was a lot to take in, but here are the headlines.
Wales have been dealt a tricky hand and will face either Italy or a local blockbuster against Northern Ireland for a place at the World Cup – which they would host – should they reach the Path A final following a semi-final against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Republic of Ireland will travel to the Czechia in Path D, and should they win, will play either Denmark or North Macedonia in the final. Ireland have also benefited from a home draw, should they reach that final.
Elsewhere, Poland and Sweden were drawn in opposite semi-finals in Path B and could face each other in the final, which Graham Potter’s Sweden would host.
Full draw:
Path A
SF1: Italy v Northern Ireland
SF2: Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina (winner hosts final)
Path B
SF3: Ukraine v Sweden (winner hosts final)
SF4: Poland v Albania
Path C
SF5: Turkey v Romania
SF6: Slovakia v Kosovo (winner hosts final)
Path D
SF7: Denmark v North Macedonia
SF8: Czechia v Republic of Ireland (winner hosts final)
Host finals sorted
Wales or Bosnia will host Italy or Northern Ireland in the Path A final.
Ukraine or Sweden will host Poland or Albania in the Path B final.
Slovakia or Kosovo will host Turkey or Romania in the Path C final.
Czechia or Republic of Ireland will host Denmark or North Macedonia in the Path D final
Wales get a home draw
IF they beat Bosnia, Wales will host the Path A final against Italy or Northern Ireland.
Now to draw the finals…
We’re not done just yet. We just need to determine which teams will host the respective finals.
Path D complete
Denmark or North Macedonia v Czechia or Republic of Ireland.
Path C complete
Turkey or Romania v Slovakia or Kosovo.
Path B complete
Ukraine or Sweden v Poland or Albania.
Northern Ireland face Italy
That completes path A.
Italy or Northern Ireland v Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina.
A potential Wales v Northern Ireland final!
Ireland discover fate
Poland will play Albania in SF4 in Path B, Kosovo will play Slovakia in SF6 in Path C, while the Republic of Ireland will go to the Czechia in SF8 in Path D.
Wales to face Bosnia-Herzegovina
The winner of that will play either Italy or Albania in the Path A final.
Host teams drawn
Poland will host SF4 in Path B, Slovakia will host SF6 in Path C and Czechia will play host in SF8 in Path D.
We know all the hosts for the eight semi-finals, now to find out who each team will play…
Wales drawn
And they could face Italy after being drawn in Path A. They will host SF2.
The first teams out
Italy are first out from Pot 1 and will host Path A semi-final 1
Ukraine will do the same in SF3 for Path B, Turkey in SF5 for Path C and Denmark in SF7 for Path D.
Reminder of the pots
Pot 1: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine
Pot 2: Poland, Wales, Czechia, Slovakia
Pot 3: Republic of Ireland, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo
Pot 4: Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland
Time for the UEFA draw
The 16 European teams are about to discover their fates!
Inter-confederation draw complete
New Caledonia will play Jamaica in Path 1, with the winner facing DR Congo in the first final.
In Path 2, Bolivia will take on Suriname for a spot against Iraq in the final.
The two winners of each final will secure their place at the World Cup.
Both finals will take place in Mexican host cities Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Inter-confederation draw first up
A reminder of the teams:
Asia: IraqAfrica: DR CongoConcacaf: Jamaica, SurinameConmebol: BoliviaOFC: New CaledoniaHere we go…
Gianni Infantino is speaking as the draw is about to get underway in Zurich, Switzerland.
He describes the 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup as “104 Super Bowls in one month”.
Remember, this is the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams set to battle it out across the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.
The home nations
We could have a scenario where every home nations team qualifies for the World Cup, as well as Northern Ireland – wouldn’t that be something!
England have already confirmed their spot, as have Scotland, with Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland ready to battle for their place in USA, Mexico and Canada.
Wales have sealed a home draw in their play-off semi-final after a 7-1 mauling of North Macedonia, while the Republic of Ireland did enough in the Nations League, despite finishing third in their qualifying group.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – NOVEMBER 18: Scotland’s Andy Robertson celebrates as teammate Kieran Tierney scores to make it 3-2 during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park, on November 18, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Who to watch out for
Since Italy won the World Cup in 2006, they suffered back-to-back group stage exits at the World Cups in 2010 and 2014, while failing to qualify for the last TWO tournaments in Russia and Qatar.
It is unthinkable that a nation like Italy – four-time champions – could fail to qualify again, but here they are.
Elsewhere, Sweden endured a terrible qualifying campaign, finishing bottom of their group without winning a single game.
For a nation with the likes of Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, Lucas Bergvall and Anthony Elanga in their ranks, it is surprising that they have such a terrible record. However, Graham Potter has recently taken over as head coach and will lead them to the World Cup, should they get over the line.
One last dance for Robert Lewandowski? His Poland side are involved, while Denmark – who lost in dramatic fashion against Scotland earlier this week – are also in the mix.
What are the dates?
The semi-finals are scheduled to kick off on March 26, 2026, with the finals five days later.
Venues must be confirmed by December 19, 2025.
UEFA has also arranged for the losing semi-finalists to play an international friendly on the day of each path’s final.
Semi-finalsMarch 26, 2026FinalsMarch 31, 2026The pots
This is how the pots are split:
Pot 1: Italy, Ukraine, Turkey, DenmarkPot 2: Wales, Slovakia, Poland, Czechia Pot 3: Kosovo, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, AlbaniaPot 4: Romania, Northern Ireland, Sweden, North MacedoniaPlay-off format
As promised, here is how the play-offs will work.
They will consist of four paths, one for each available European spot at the World Cup.
Each pathway will feature one team from all four seeding pots. Pots 1 to 3 are determined by FIFA’s November world rankings, while Pot 4 is made up of the four nations that earned their spots through their Nations League results.
There will be a one-legged semi-final – hosted by the higher-ranking pot side – between Pot 1 and Pot 4, and Pot 2 and Pot 3.
Whoever wins the Pot 1 v Pot 4 semi-final will meet the winner of the Pot 2 v Pot 3 semi-final in their path, with the winner securing a spot at the World Cup. The host venue for each final will be chosen by a draw held after the semifinals.
The nations heading to USA, Mexico and Canada
The following nations have secured their places at next summer’s World Cup:
Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United StatesAfrica: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, TunisiaAsia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, UzbekistanEurope: Croatia, England, France, Norway, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, BelgiumOceania: New ZealandSouth America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, UruguayConcacaf: Curacao, Haiti, Panama
Curacao, ranked 82nd in the FIFA rankings, have become the smallest ever country to qualify for a World Cup!
How the European teams are split
Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Albania, Czechia, Wales, Denmark, Kosovo, Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina are all in the draw as group runners-up during qualifying.
Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia all finished outside the top two in their respective groups, but have been awarded a play-off spot thanks to their performances in the UEFA Nations League.
‘I’m the USA coach, not the janitor’ – Pochettino bristles at reporter’s question after big win
Video credit: SNTV
The teams involved
There are sixteen European nations – including Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Italy- that will enter the draw to determine four of the remaining six spots up for grabs.
The other two spots will be determined by the six intercontinental teams set to compete in a separate play-off tournament.
European nations
UkraineRepublic of IrelandPolandSlovakiaItalyAlbaniaCzechia WalesDenmarkKosovoTurkeyBosnia and HerzegovinaRomaniaSwedenNorthern IrelandNorth Macedonia
Intercontinental nations
IraqBoliviaDemocratic Republic of CongoJamaicaSurinameNew CaledoniaHow do the play-offs work?
We will break down the ever-complicated system for you during the run-up to the draw, but here is a handy guide to feast your eyes on in the meantime.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off draw.
Today is a big day, as the likes of Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Italy will discover their paths to the 2026 World Cup next summer.
The draw is scheduled to get underway at 12pm UK time, while the play-off fixtures will be contested in March 2026.
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