The most prominent pairings for the first single-match round of the European playoff for the 2026 World Cup, which will grant four tickets, have been set as Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Poland vs. Albania, and Turkey vs. Romania. The draw, held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, also set the other playoffs for the remaining ten European teams: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Slovakia vs. Kosovo, Czech Republic vs. Ireland, Denmark vs. North Macedonia, and Wales vs. Bosnia. The eight winners of the first round will be drawn into four finals, also to be played as single matches, to decide the four spots for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The initial playoff round will be played on March 26 of next year, with the four finals taking place five days later on March 31. Due to their higher FIFA ranking, Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, Wales, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia were placed in pots one and two and will play at home for their first leg. The draw also determined the path for the eight teams that will advance to the four finals. If Italy is drawn against Northern Ireland, they will face the winner of the Wales-Bosnia match, with the particularity that they will do so as the away team. The winner of Poland vs. Albania will face the winner of Ukraine vs. Sweden, with the latter having the advantage of playing at home in the final. The winner of Denmark vs. North Macedonia would also play away, facing the team that qualifies from the match between the Czechs and the Irish. The draw also defined the path for the eight teams that will advance to the four finals. In addition to the remaining four spots for Europe, there are two spots at stake for teams from other continents. Bolivia, Suriname, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are vying for them. The Bolivian team will face Suriname, a former Dutch colony located north of Brazil. The winner of that match will face Iraq, who advances directly to the final, just as Congo will face the winner of the match between Jamaica and New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific that is aspiring to its first World Cup appearance. The six teams that secure tickets in the playoffs will complete the 48 teams that will play in the 2026 World Cup, the largest in history. The draw for the tournament's group stage is scheduled for next December 5 in Washington.
