The final six World Cup participants will be determined in the European and intercontinental playoffs.
Four places will be awarded in the playoffs in Europe. Italy has one last chance to qualify – otherwise the four-time world champion will miss a World Cup for the third time in a row.
Two additional World Cup participants will be determined in intercontinental playoffs involving teams from the other confederations in North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Europe: Four World Cup participants will be determined in four tournaments
The four European playoff tournaments determine four World Cup participants.
The winner of Playoff Path A plays in Group A at the World Cup with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
| Playoff Path A | |
|---|---|
Semi-final: Italy – Northern Ireland | 2:0 |
Semi-final: Wales – Bosnia-Herzegovina* | 3:5 iU |
Final: Bosnia-Herzegovina – Italy | March 31, 8:45 p.m |
The winner of Playoff Path B plays in Group F at the World Cup with Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.
| Playoff Path B | |
|---|---|
Semi-final: Ukraine – Sweden* | 1:3 |
Semi-final: Poland – Albania | 2:1 |
Final: Sweden – Poland | March 31, 8:45 p.m |
The winner of Playoff Path C plays in Group D at the World Cup with USA, Paraguay and Australia.
| Playoff Path C | |
|---|---|
Semi-final: Türkiye – Romania | 1:0 |
Semi-final: Slovakia – Kosovo* | 3:4 |
Final: Kosovo – Türkiye | March 31, 8:45 p.m |
The winner of Playoff Path D plays in Group A at the World Cup with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
| Playoff Path D | |
|---|---|
Semi-final: Denmark – North Macedonia | 4:0 |
Semi-final: Czech Republic – Ireland* | 4:3 iE |
Final: Czech Republic – Denmark | March 31, 8:45 p.m |
*The winners of these semi-final games have home advantage in the final. The home right in the semi-finals was previously determined by the seeding list.
Only one game takes place at a time, even in the final.
From Jamaica to New Caledonia – six teams in the intercontinental Playoffs
In the two intercontinental playoff tournaments, two more World Cup participants will be determined from among six teams. The games will all be played in Mexico’s two World Cup stadiums in Guadalajara and Monterrey. One finalist according to the FIFA world rankings has already been determined.
In the intercontinental playoff path 1 the Democratic Republic of Congo has secured a place in the final.
The winner of playoff path 1 will play in Group K at the World Cup with Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
| Playoff path 1 | |
|---|---|
Semi-final: New Caledonia – Jamaica | March 27th, 4 a.m. CEST |
Final: Democratic Republic of Congo – winners New Caledonia/Jamaica | March 31st, 11 p.m. CEST |
The national team of the Democratic Republic of Congo during the World Cup qualification
The intercontinental playoff path 2 already has a finalist, Iraq.
The winner of playoff path 2 will play in Group I at the World Cup with France, Senegal and Norway.
| Playoff path 2 | |
|---|---|
Semi-final: Bolivia – Suriname | March 26th, 11 p.m. CEST |
Final: Iraq – winners Bolivia/Suriname | April 1st, 5 a.m. CEST |
