The race to complete the 48-team lineup for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will reach a dramatic climax in March, when six nations from four continents battle for the final two qualification tickets in the intercontinental playoff tournament.
With 42 teams already confirmed and the main World Cup draw scheduled for December 5, attention now turns to a high-stakes mini-tournament set to unfold in Mexico.
The intercontinental playoff will run during the FIFA international window from March 23 to March 31, bringing together Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname. Only two of these teams will secure passage to the global finals co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The format is straightforward but unforgiving. FIFA seeded the six nations based on its latest world rankings, placing the two highest-ranked sides—DR Congo (No. 56) and Iraq (No. 58)—straight into the finals of two separate brackets. The remaining four teams were drawn into two semifinal ties, with Concacaf representatives Jamaica (No. 70) and Suriname (No. 123) kept apart to ensure competitive balance.
The draw produced the following bracket:
Semifinals
New Caledonia vs. Jamaica
Bolivia vs. Suriname
Finals
Winner of New Caledonia vs. Jamaica to face DR Congo
Winner of Bolivia vs. Suriname to face Iraq
Only the winners of the two finals will qualify for the World Cup.
All four matches will be played in Mexico—fitting, given its role as one of the hosts of next summer’s tournament. Games will take place at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, two venues that will also feature in the main competition.
Each team arrives via a different path. Bolivia finished seventh in South America’s CONMEBOL standings, narrowly missing automatic qualification. DR Congo earned their place by triumphing in a four-team African playoff, beating Cameroon in the semifinal before edging Nigeria on penalties in a tense final. Iraq booked its slot by defeating the United Arab Emirates over two legs.
From the Concacaf region, Jamaica and Suriname both advanced as the two best runners-up in the group phase. New Caledonia, meanwhile, secured its opportunity by finishing as runners-up in Oceania’s qualifying campaign.
With knockout stakes, long-shot dreams and two coveted World Cup spots on the line, the intercontinental playoffs promise to deliver one of the most intense and unpredictable chapters of the entire 2026 qualifying cycle.
