Here we go for the draw!
Welcome everyone to our site to follow the draw for the 2026 World Cup play-offs live (from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada). Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, speaks from Zurich.
Everything you need to know about the play-off draw
At what time and on which channel to follow the draw?
The draw for the European zone play-offs for the 2026 World Cup will begin at 1 p.m. and will be held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. It will follow the draw for the intercontinental play-offs. The ceremony will be followed live on the L’Equipe channel (TNT channel 21).
Who are the sixteen roadblocks in the Europe zone?
At the end of the qualifiers, the first twelve in the group validated their ticket for the 2026 World Cup. The second twelve will have to go through the play-offs, which will take place next March. They will find four other teams there, who finished as leaders of their group in the Nations League and did not win their ticket for the North American World Cup.
- The 12 runners-up: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Wales, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine.
- The 4 drafted: Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Romania, Sweden.
Sweden for Italy?
What are the hats for the draw?
The sixteen play-off teams are divided into four hats. Hat 1: Italy, Denmark, Türkiye, Ukraine. Hat 2: Wales, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia. Hat 3: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Kosovo. Hat 4: Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Romania, Sweden.
How do the draw and play-offs take place?
The sixteen play-offs will be divided into four mini-tournaments of four teams, which will compete in direct elimination matches: semi-final then final. The four winners of these tables will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The teams in hats 1 and 2 are seeded and will not be able to face each other in the semi-finals: a team from hat 1 will be pitted against a team from hat 4; a team from hat 2 will face a team from hat 3. The semi-finals will take place on Thursday March 26 and the finals will be played on Tuesday March 31.
