Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are heading into the World Cup play-offs with hopes of qualifying for next summer’s tournament. So how does it work?
Gone are the days when the winners of the UEFA qualifying groups would advance to the finals and the second place teams would play against each other to join that team.
Countries that finished outside of the top two in their UEFA qualifying group for the second consecutive cycle but performed well in the 2024/25 Nations League tournament will benefit for the second time, but with two more play-off spots compared to the 2022 World Cup.
It’s a complex system, and the results remain more ambiguous than ever, but here’s a handy guide to what to expect in Thursday’s draw…
When is the playoff draw?
The draw will take place on Thursday at 12pm at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Follow us live on Sky Sports digital platforms.
What is the format of the playoffs and who will participate?
The World Cup playoffs will be held in March 2026 and will consist of four “passes”, one for each available spot in the final.
Each pass will feature teams from each of the four seeding pots, with pots 1-3 determined by November’s FIFA World Rankings, and pot 4 consisting of the four countries that qualified based on their Nations League performance.
The format then proceeds as follows, with a one-legged semi-final hosted by the top side of the pot.
Harry Wilson’s hat-trick saw Wales beat North Macedonia 7-1 to secure second place in Group J.
Pot 1 vs. Pot 4 Pot 2 vs. Pot 3
The winner of the semi-final match Pot 1 vs. Pot 4 will play the winner of the pass semi-final Pot 2 vs. Pot 3 for a spot in the World Cup between USA, Canada and Mexico. The host country for each final will be determined by a lottery after the semi-finals.
The pot is as follows.
Pot 1: Italy, Ukraine, Turkey, Denmark Pot 2: Wales, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic Pot 3: Kosovo, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania Pot 4: Romania, Northern Ireland, Sweden, North Macedonia
How can I qualify for the World Cup playoffs?
The size of the 2026 tournament will be expanded by 50 percent, with 16 European teams competing in the World Cup for the first time. Twelve of these spots are reserved for the winners of the UEFA qualifying groups, with the remaining four spots going through the play-offs.
The 12 group runners-up will be joined by the four teams who finished outside of the top two in their respective qualifying groups and are the “best performers” in the 2024/25 Nations League.
Troy Parrott’s incredible hat-trick against Hungary gives Republic of Ireland a shock play-off spot
The final rankings for each of the 12 groups are as follows.
Group A: Germany qualifies, Slovakia and Northern Ireland go to play-offs Group B: Switzerland qualifies, Kosovo and Sweden go to play-offs Group C: Scotland qualifies, Denmark goes to play-offs Group D: France qualifies, Ukraine goes to play-offs Group E: Spain qualifies, Turkey goes to play-offs Group F: Portugal qualifies, Republic of Ireland goes to play-offs Group G: Netherlands qualified, Poland in play-offs Group H: Austria in, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania in play-offs Group I: Norway in, Italy in play-offs Group J: Belgium in, Wales and North Macedonia in play-offs Group K: England in, Albania in play-offs Group L: Croatia in, Czech Republic in play-offs
Will my home country be involved too?
yes! There is still a chance that all home countries and the Republic of Ireland will join Canada, the United States and Mexico next summer.
England and Scotland are guaranteed a place by finishing top of their group, the first time the Scots have done so since the 1982 cycle.
Wales defeated North Macedonia 7-1 in their final group match, finishing second in Group J and securing a home draw in the play-off semi-finals.
Northern Ireland qualified for the play-offs thanks to their performance in the Nations League, although they did not finish in the top two of their qualifying group.
Northern Ireland’s loss to Slovakia automatically ended their hopes, but they will qualify for the play-offs in March.
How does UEFA decide on Nations League results?
UEFA ranks Nations League teams from 1st to 4th based on the number of points earned by the group winners. In most cases, this means that the four additional playoff spots will be taken up by four of the 14 Nations League group winners.
That’s certainly the case here, with Northern Ireland, Romania and Sweden confirmed ahead of Tuesday, while North Macedonia secured fourth place after losing to Wales in Cardiff.
