2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

The inter-confederation play-offs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament (officially named the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament) will determine two qualification spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be played in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.^[1] The play-offs will take place on 26 and 31 March 2026 at two venues in Mexico.^[2]

The slot allocation for the inter-confederation play-offs was confirmed by the FIFA Council in 2017. Each confederation received one play-off slot, except UEFA, with an additional play-off slot also given to the confederation of the host association(s).^[3][4] As Canada, Mexico, and the United States were subsequently appointed as hosts for the 2026 World Cup, CONCACAF received two spots in the play-off tournament, while the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC each received one.^[5]

The play-off tournament will be held in North America and will act as a preparatory event for the World Cup.^[6] It will take place during the FIFA window of 23–31 March 2026,^[7] less than three months prior to the start of the final tournament. The play-offs will feature six teams, split into two brackets of three teams, with both bracket winners qualifying for the World Cup. The teams were seeded into brackets based on the FIFA Men's World Ranking. Each bracket features two unseeded teams facing each other in a semi-final, with the winner advancing to the play-off final against a seeded team.^[5]

The play-offs will be played in single-leg knockout matches. If scores are level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, where each team will be allowed to make a sixth substitution. If the scores remain tied, a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner.^[8]

On 19 November 2025, FIFA confirmed Mexico as the host for the inter-confederation play-offs.^[2] The four matches will be played at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, with each venue hosting two fixtures. During the tournament, the stadiums will be known by different names, as FIFA prohibits sponsorship of stadia unless the stadium sponsors are also official FIFA sponsors.^[9] For example, the Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe will be known during the competition as Estadio Monterrey.

The draw took place on 20 November 2025, 13:00 CET (UTC+1), at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.^[10] Teams were seeded based on the FIFA Men's World Ranking of 19 November 2025 (shown in parentheses).^[11] The teams ranked first and second were automatically allocated to play-off final 1 and 2, respectively. The remaining four teams were unseeded and placed into a single pot. In the draw, the unseeded teams were allocated to the first available match (match 1, then 2). The two CONCACAF teams had to be placed into separate paths per FIFA's general draw constraint.^[12]

The draw was presented by Melanie Winiger and conducted by Manolo Zubiria, the 2026 tournament's U.S. chief officer. Former player Christian Karembeu acted as an assistant in the draw.^[13]

The match schedule for the inter-confederation play-offs was announced on 21 November 2025, the day after the draw. Two matches will take place on each of 26 and 31 March 2026.^[14][15]

All times are local, CST (UTC−6).

The winner of Pathway 1 will enter Group K in the final tournament.

The winner of Pathway 2 will enter Group I in the final tournament.

A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:^[8]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
• Receiving two yellow cards in two qualifying matches (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to the World Cup final tournament or any other future international matches)

The following suspensions will be served during the inter-confederation play-offs:

The outbreak of regional hostilities on 28 February 2026 as a result of the 2026 Iran war significantly impacted Iraq's logistical preparations for the inter-confederation play-offs. Following the closure of Iraqi airspace and the suspension of international flights, the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs intervened to grant entry visas for the national team through diplomatic channels in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, since Mexico does not have an embassy in Iraq.^[16] However, despite the issuance of visas, over 60% of the domestic-based squad remained stranded in Baghdad, and a scheduled training camp in Houston was canceled.^[17][18] Head coach Graham Arnold was forced to manage team operations remotely from the United Arab Emirates, as the delegation was unable to secure safe passage out of the conflict zone during the initial weeks of the war.^[19]

The Iraq Football Association (IFA) formally petitioned FIFA to postpone the play-off match, citing the impossibility of safe transit for the players and staff.^[17] FIFA denied the request, citing the rigidity of the FIFA International Match Calendar, and instead proposed an alternative overland route through Turkey to Istanbul.^[18] This proposal was rejected by IFA and Arnold due to security concerns regarding repeated Iranian strikes in the Kurdistan region.^[19] Amidst these travel complications, the Mexican government maintained its commitment to the team's participation, working directly with the Iraqi Embassy in Mexico to finalize all documentation. On 16 March, it was confirmed that FIFA would provide a chartered private jet to transport the Iraqi team to Mexico.^[20] The original plan was for the team to fly from the Arar Domestic Airport in Saudi Arabia, near the Iraqi border on 20 March and arrive in Monterrey the next day, 10 days before the match.^[21] However, further air space closures in the area forced the group of players and staff based in Iraq to travel by land to Jordan where they departed on a charter flight from Queen Alia International Airport in Amman on 21 March. After a technical layover in Lisbon, Portugal, they arrived in Monterrey minutes after midnight.^[22][23]

• 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round

• Official website