The participants of the 2026 World Cup playoff qualification draw have been determined, which will take place on November 20 in Zurich, Switzerland (start of ceremony at 14:00 Kyiv time).

After the November international window, there are now 42 known World Cup participants. The final six will be decided based on the results of matches in March 2026: six national teams in the intercontinental playoff will compete for two spots, and another four spots will be contested in the European playoff featuring sixteen teams.

The intercontinental playoff will feature two finals where winners of two semifinals between seeded and unseeded teams will face off against each other. The victors of these two finals will secure their final licenses.

In the European playoff, twelve teams that finished second in their World Cup 2026 qualifying groups and four best group winners from UEFA Nations League will participate. Sixteen teams will be divided into four playoff paths with four teams each. Matches will take place in a semifinal and final format within each path. The winner of each path will qualify for the World Cup.

For the draw procedure, the FIFA ranking as of November 19 (baskets 1–3) is taken into account, and group winners from the Nations League occupy places in basket 4.

Basket 1: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine.

Basket 2: Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia.

Basket 3: Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo.

Basket 4: Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland.

In the first round of the playoff (March 26, 2026), in the semifinals of four paths, teams from basket 1 will host teams from basket 4, while teams from basket 2 will face teams from basket 3. In the finals (March 31), winners of the semifinals (baskets 1–4 against 2–3) will play each other, and hosts will be determined by draw.

World Cup 2026. Final Tournament

The World Cup 2026 is the first in history to feature 48 national teams in its final stage, with twelve groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.

Matches of the 23rd World Cup will take place in sixteen cities: Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey in Mexico, and Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle in the USA.

The opening match of the World Cup will be played on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, while the final match will take place on July 19 in New York.

The draw will take place on December 5.

World Cup 2026 Final Tournament Calendar