The draws to determine the playoff brackets for the final six seats at the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup will take place in Zurich on November 20, according to FIFA, the world governing body of football. The final qualifiers for the event, which will be jointly hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States next year, will be determined by the playoffs. 16 teams, including possible heavyweights like Italy, the four-time world champions, will compete for four remaining European spots in the European playoff draw. Teams will compete for a coveted ticket to football’s grandest stage in matches scheduled for March 26–31, 2026.
In the meantime, six non-European teams will fight for two World Cup spots in the intercontinental playoffs. Bolivia and New Caledonia have already confirmed their participation in those games, which are anticipated to take place in Mexico. According to FIFA, the playoff brackets will be seeded according to the next men’s global rankings, which will be announced on November 19, the day before the draw. Four mini-brackets of four teams each, with single-leg semifinals and finals, will make up the European playoffs. The runners-up from the 12 European qualifying groups and four more teams that won Nations League groups the previous year—likely including Sweden and Wales—will make up the 16 competitors.
Direct entrance to the World Cup is already guaranteed for the 12 winners of the European qualifying groups, which end on November 18. England is one of them; earlier this month, they confirmed their qualifying. In order to select the final two qualifiers for the intercontinental playoffs, the four lowest-ranked teams will be paired in single-match semifinals. The winners will then face the two highest-ranked teams in the decisive finals. At the official World Cup draw on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the six playoff placeholders will be assigned to Pot 4, the lowest-ranked group. U.S. President Donald Trump is anticipated to attend the event.
