2026 World Cup europe playoff draw announced

The draw for the European zone playoffs for the 2026 World Cup has taken place.

1news.media reports the matchups for the semifinal round of the playoffs are now set.

European playoff pairings:

Path A:

Italy vs. Northern Ireland
Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Path B:

Ukraine vs. Sweden
Poland vs. Albania

Path C:

Turkiye vs. Romania
Slovakia vs. Kosovo

Path D:

Denmark vs. North Macedonia
Czech Republic vs. Ireland

Additionally, based on the intercontinental draw:

- The winner of New Caledonia vs. Jamaica will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a spot in the World Cup.
- The winner of Bolivia vs. Suriname will face Iraq.

Host nations USA, Canada, and Mexico—along with Curaçao, Panama, Haiti, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, England, France, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Spain, Austria, and Belgium—have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals.

The tournament will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with a total of 48 teams participating.