2026 World Cup: the intercontinental and European play-off matchups have been confirmed

This Thursday morning, FIFA took a key step for the 2026 World Cup. The international body held the draw at its headquarters in Zurich for both the intercontinental and European play-offs.

The event began with a presentation by Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, followed by the drawing of the international play-off, which will be played in Mexico between Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 31, and the result was as follows:

Bracket A (Monterrey)

• Semifinal: New Caledonia - Jamaica
• Final: (New Caledonia/Jamaica) - Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bracket B (Guadalajara)

1. Semifinal: Bolivia - Suriname
2. Final: (Bolivia/Suriname) - Iraq

Later, with another presentation by Infantino, the draw for the European play-off was held, which will be played between Thursday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 31. The draw determined the semifinal matchups and the home teams for the finals of each bracket, which were as follows:

Bracket A

• Semifinal 1: Italy - Northern Ireland
• Semifinal 2: Wales - Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Final Home Team: Winner of Semifinal 2

Bracket B

• Semifinal 3: Ukraine - Sweden
• Semifinal 4: Poland - Albania
  • Final Home Team: Winner of Semifinal 3

Bracket C

• Semifinal 5: Türkiye - Romania
• Semifinal 6: Slovakia - Kosovo
  • Final Home Team: Winner of Semifinal 6

Bracket D

• Semifinal 7: Denmark - North Macedonia
• Semifinal 8: Czech Republic - Ireland
  • Final Home Team: Winner of Semifinal 8