The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is now fewer than 80 days away, and the six remaining qualification slots will be filled during the international break when the final four European nations and two intercontinental qualifiers emerge from the World Cup playoffs, which take place Thursday and Tuesday.
Can four-time world champions Italy avoid missing out on a third successive World Cup? Which European nation will take the final place in the USA’s group at the finals? Could tiny New Caledonia make it to the World Cup via the intercontinental playoffs?
With so much at stake for the 22 nations desperately attempting to claim one of the remaining berths, the pressure will be intense in this week’s semifinals. But who will come out on top to seal a place in the playoff finals on Tuesday?
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EUROPEAN PLAYOFFS
PATH A
Winner enters World Cup Group B (Canada, Qatar, Switzerland)
Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Cardiff, Wales): Wales go into their semifinal against Bosnia and Herzegovina with Craig Bellamy’s team sitting 35th in the FIFA men’s rankings — 36 places ahead of their opponents. But Bosnia have won two and drawn two of their four previous meetings with Wales and lost just one of their games in UEFA Group H, finishing runners-up behind Austria.
Wales have home advantage in Cardiff, but the absence of injured Wrexham forward Kieffer Moore will hurt Bellamy’s team. On the flipside, the 40-year-old Edin Dzeko — who has scored six goals in eight games for Schalke since joining the 2. Bundesliga side in January — is still going strong, and he could give Bosnia the edge.
Winner: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Italy vs. Northern Ireland (Bergamo, Italy): Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has spoken this week of the “nervousness” within his squad ahead of their clash with Northern Ireland in Bergamo because of the Azzurri‘s failure to progress through the playoffs for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Memories of a home defeat against North Macedonia in the 2022 playoff semifinal still haunt Italy, but Gattuso’s team should have too much for a Northern Ireland side that is without injured Premier League defenders Conor Bradley (Liverpool) and Dan Ballard (Sunderland).
Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill, who guided the country to Euro 2016 qualification, is attempting to secure World Cup qualification for the first time since 1986. But O’Neill needed a full-strength team to have any chance of winning this semifinal, and the loss of Bradley and Ballard leaves an unfillable hole in Northern Ireland’s back line.
Winner: Italy
Path A final: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy (Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina): Prediction to follow on Monday.
PATH B
Winner enters World Cup Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia)
Ukraine vs. Sweden (Valencia, Spain): Sweden failed to win a single game during the qualifying campaign, finishing at the bottom of Group B with four defeats and two draws, but they had already secured the playoff spot by virtue of their Nations League performance a year earlier. Liverpool forward Alexander Isak’s ongoing absence with a broken leg has deprived Sweden coach Graham Potter of his top striker, but Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres is fit and available, meaning that the Swedes still carry a threat.
Ukraine have doubts over the fitness of Lyon forward Roman Yaremchuk, but despite having to play the game on neutral territory in Spain at Levante’s Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, Serhiy Rebrov’s side is still expected to be backed by a significant Ukrainian contingent that could be enough to carry it over the line.
Winner: Ukraine
Poland vs. Albania (Warsaw, Poland): Both teams finished runners-up in their qualification groups — Poland behind the Netherlands and Albania behind England — and this tie has the potential to be the tightest of all the European playoffs.
Robert Lewandowski will spearhead Poland’s attack, with the 37-year-old Barcelona forward knowing this will be his chance at a World Cup swansong. But Albania have become one of the most underestimated teams in Europe under coach Sylvinho and have lost just twice in their past 10 games — both against England.
Home advantage in Warsaw should give the Poles the edge, but Albania are a dangerous, confident team and will expect to win.
Winner: Albania
Path B final: Ukraine vs. Albania (Valencia): Prediction to follow on Monday.
PATH C
Winner enters World Cup Group D (U.S., Paraguay, Australia)
Turkey vs. Romania (Istanbul): Everything points to Turkey winning not just this semifinal but also claiming the Path C place at the World Cup. Coach Vincenzo Montella can call on the attacking talent of Real Madrid’s Arda Güler, Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz and Porto’s Deniz Gül, but also have the experience of Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoglu and Borussia Dortmund’s Salih Özcan.
Staging this tie in Istanbul is another advantage in Turkey’s favor as well as the fact that Romania, coached by the 80-year-old Mircea Lucescu, lack experience in a squad that is largely sourced from the Romanian Super League. Expect Turkey to comfortably book a final against Slovakia or Kosovo.
Winner: Turkey
Slovakia vs. Kosovo (Bratislava, Slovakia): Kosovo are the lowest-ranked team in the European playoffs, sitting in 79th position and travel to Bratislava to face a Slovakia that won all three qualification home games — including a 2-0 victory against Germany — without conceding a goal.
Home advantage would seem to be a key element for Slovakia, who have the experience of Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka, Fenerbahce defender Milan Skriniar and Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka, but Kosovo should not be underestimated. Franco Foda’s side secured home and away wins against Sweden in the qualification campaign and drew with group winners Switzerland, but despite their obvious talent and tenacity, Kosovo must overcome Slovakia’s strong home record.
Winner: Slovakia
Path C final: Slovakia vs. Turkey (Bratislava): Prediction to follow on Monday.
PATH D
Winner enters World Cup Group A (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa)
0:36
Séamus Coleman: We want to make Ireland proud
Ireland captain Séamus Coleman hopes the team can make their country proud once again as they prepare for their World Cup playoff against Czech Republic.
Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland (Prague): Troy Parrott’s hat trick in a 3-2 win over Hungary in Budapest, finished off with the deciding goal six minutes into stoppage time, sealed Ireland’s remarkable qualification for the playoffs. The Irish had been just a point off the bottom spot heading into their final two qualifiers, but a 2-0 win against Portugal (in which Parrott scored both goals) and the win over Hungary booked a playoff clash against the Czechs in Prague.
Czechia were unbeaten at home in the group stage, but Jaroslav Kostl’s team suffered an embarrassing away defeat against the Faroe Islands. The Irish have the winning momentum, which might just be enough to swing the tie.
Winner: Ireland
Denmark vs. North Macedonia (Copenhagen, Denmark): Denmark blew their chance of automatic qualification from Group C by taking just one point from their final two games against winless Belarus and eventual group winners Scotland, which means the pressure is on Brian Riemer’s team to make amends in the playoffs.
Playing at home in Copenhagen with players such as Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund and Mikkel Damsgaard — injuries have ruled out keeper Kasper Schmeichel, plus defenders Andreas Christensen and Patrick Dorgu — should given the Danes enough advantages to win the semifinal. But they failed to do the job in the qualifiers, and North Macedonia’s 2022 playoff win away to Italy highlights their ability to cause an upset.
The Danes are a fading force; North Macedonia can definitely win this tie.
Winner: North Macedonia
Path D final: Republic of Ireland vs. North Macedonia (Dublin): Prediction to follow on Monday.
INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYOFFS
PATHWAY 1
Winner faces DR Congo in final, the winner of which enters World Cup Group K (Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia)
New Caledonia vs. Jamaica (Zapopan, Mexico): New Caledonia, a tiny archipelago in the South Pacific, would be the lowest-ranked nation to ever play at a World Cup — they are in 150th position — if they qualify. But they face Jamaica as heavy underdogs in Zapopan, with the Reggae Boyz able to call on several Europe-based players including Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), Bobby De Cordova-Reid (Leicester), Demarai Gray (Birmingham) and Bailey Cadamarteri (Wrexham).
Steve McClaren’s resignation as Jamaica’s coach after the failure to qualify automatically has left Rudolph Speid in charge on an interim basis, but their savvy and superior quality should give them a straightforward win.
Winner: Jamaica
Pathway 1 final: Jamaica vs. DR Congo (Zapopan): Prediction to follow on Monday.
PATHWAY 2
Winner faces Iraq in final, the winner of which enters World Cup Group I (France, Senegal, Norway)
Bolivia vs. Suriname (Guadalupe, Mexico): A 1-0 home win against Brazil during the CONMEBOL qualification campaign last September proved to be the decisive result for Bolivia, who sealed a playoff spot on the final match day, but their run of five defeats and a draw in their past six games paints a worrying picture for the South American nation.
Only Lionel Messi and Luis Díaz scored more than the seven goals registered by Bolivia’s Miguel Terceros during the CONMEBOL qualifiers, and Oscar Villegas’ team will be boosted by that goal threat. But Suriname, led by former Ajax coach Henk ten Cate, have a strong Dutch influence in their squad because of the historical links between the two countries, and their depth of European experience gives them the edge.
The winner of this game is due to face Iraq in the final, but the conflict in the Persian Gulf could affect the Iraqi squad’s ability to travel to Mexico and may cause the fixture to be postponed.
Winner: Suriname
Pathway 2 final: Suriname v. Iraq (Guadalupe): Prediction to follow on Monday.
