FIFA World Cup Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament: All you need to know

Charlie Zschau Updated: Nov 25 2025 18:35

48 teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America, and six teams from across the globe will compete for two final two spots in March of 2026.

The play-off tournament will include two teams from Concacaf, and one team from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC.

After each confederations World Cup qualifying tournaments, the six teams competing for the final two places have already been decided.

The tournament will take place in Mexico in March of 2026, in preparation for the Word Cup in North America,

Competing Nations

Bolivia (CONMEBOL)
DR Congo (CAF)
Iraq (AFC)
Jamaica (Concacaf)
Suriname (Concacaf)
New Caledonia (OFC)

Bolivia is looking to qualify for its fourth ever World Cup, and for only the second time since 1950.

The DR Congo, Iraq, and Jamaica will all be searching for the second ever appearance in the global tournament, and their first since the turn of the century.

Suriname and New Caledonia have both never qualified for a World Cup in their existence. If New Caledonia advance through the play-off tournament, they would become the second smallest nation to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup. The South Pacific Island nation has a population of approximately 298,000 people.

FIFA Play-Off Tournament Dates

The tournament will run from March 23rd, through March 31st, 2026 during the international fixture window.

Tournament Format

From the six participants, the four lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings will meet in a bracket semi-finals. The two highest ranked teams will go directly to the finals.

The winners of the two bracket finals will earn qualification for the World Cup.