Play-Off Tournament takes centre stage
The final chance for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 has come for Bolivia, Congo DR, Jamaica, Iraq, New Caledonia and Suriname.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament begins on 26 March
Six teams will be vying for two berths to the global finals
New Caledonia and Suriname are each targeting a maiden World Cup
After several years of toiling through the ups and down of qualifying, six teams will be looking to fulfil their dream in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Play-Off Tournament.
World Cup 2026 venues Guadalajara Stadium and Monterrey Stadium will be the setting for the matches, beginning with the semi-finals on 26 March and the finals on 31 March.
The winner of each final will progress to the global finals in June and July in North America. Here, FIFA takes a look at the teams involved and how they can secure a World Cup ticket.
New Caledonia v Jamaica, 26 March
Congo DR v New Caledonia-Jamaica winner, 31 March
Winner advances to Group K with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.
The Pacific Island side are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, and hoping to join fellow OFC outfit New Zealand at the global showpiece New Caledonia reached the Play-Off Tournament by virtue of their runner-up finish in OFC qualifying, as they downed Tahiti 3-0 in the third round semi-final before succumbing to the All Whites by the same scoreline in the final.
Head coach Johann Sidaner has several dangermen at his disposal, namely the dynamic trio of Georges Gope-Fenepej, Germain Haewegene and Joseph Athale, the latter two being team-mates for the last six months at Tahiti United. Both Gope-Fenepej and Athale notched three goals in OFC qualifying. Another player bolstering Les Cagous is Angelo Fulgini, a former France youth international who would be making his New Caledonia debut in Guadalajara.
The Reggae Boyz are aiming for their second World Cup qualification and first since France 1998 after finishing as runners-up in their group in the final round of Concacaf qualifying. Jamaica came within a whisker of punching their ticket, but were held to a scoreless draw against Curaçao on the final matchday. That paved the way for Rudolph Speid to take the reins as interim coach after the departure of Steve McClaren.
A proven winner in both domestic and Caribbean club football, Speid guided his new charges to a pair of clean sheet friendly wins over Grenada (1-0) and Martinique (2-0) in January using mostly Jamaica-based players. But in Mexico it should be European-based players such as Renaldo Cephas and Leon Bailey that will give the Caribbean side plenty of game-breaking ability.
The lone CAF side in the Play-Off Tournament will await the New Caledonia-Jamaica winner and target a World Cup return for the first time since 1974 (when they competed under the name Zaire). Congo DR finished as one of the best four second-place finishers in CAF qualifying and then eliminated continental giants and World Cup mainstays Cameroon and Nigeria to reach the Play-Off Tournament. To ensure any rust has been knocked off before their decisive clash, Congo DR will face Bermuda in a friendly on 25 March.
Head coach Sebastien Desabre will be bringing a talent-rich squad to Mexico, including goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who played every minute for the Leopards at the recent CAF Africa Cup of Nations. Helping shield Mpasi are defensive stalwarts Chancel Mbemba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while a plethora of options are available in attack in the form of Fiston Mayele, Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa and in-form Al Jazira forward Simon Banza.
Bolivia v Suriname, 26 March
Iraq v Bolivia-Suriname winner, 31 March
Winner advances to Group I with France, Norway and Senegal.
It could be déjà vu all over again for Bolivia should they earn back-to-back wins in Monterrey. The South American side have not been at the global finals since USA 1994, but a seventh-place finish in CONMEBOL qualifying, punctuated by an epic 1-0 home triumph over Brazil on the final matchday, have given Bolivia reason to dream of a North American return. La Verde have remained busy on the international front, with their matches including a 3-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago earlier this month.
Head coach Oscar Villegas will be leaning on star goalscorer Miguel Terceros, who finished as the second-leading scorer in the South American qualifiers with seven goals, just behind the eight scored by Argentina legend Lionel Messi and Colombia’s Luis Diaz. Ramiro Vaca, author of two goals in qualifying, provides punch in midfield, while in the back there is ample experience with seasoned goalkeeper Carlos Lampe and defender Luis Haquin.
The other Concacaf side in the Play-Off Tournament also narrowly missed out on direct qualification, as they finished in second place in their group behind Panama. Still, A Natio have already made history by reaching this phase and will be eager to secure a maiden World Cup berth. It would come under the direction of veteran coach Henk ten Cate, who replaced Stanley Menzo after the final qualifiers last November. The Dutch tactician is already well-acquainted with Surinamese football, having served as an assistant coach for the national team in 2023.
Suriname possess a bevy of options going forward. Richonell Margaret was the team’s top scorer in qualifying with three goals and will be well supported by midfielder Tjaronn Chery and winger Sheraldo Becker. Stefano Denswil provides solidity in the back and will need to be at his best to keep the likes of Terceros and the other Bolivia forward line under wraps.
AFC qualifying is not for the faint of heart, evidenced by Iraq’s dramatic progression to the Play-Off Tournament when they edged United Arab Emirates 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a penalty conversion in the 17th minute of their fifth round second leg showdown. Head coach Graham Arnold now turns his focus to either Bolivia or Suriname with the hope of taking Iraq to their first World Cup since Mexico 1986.
Despite some injury doubts to the Australian's squad, the quality is all there for the Lions of Mesopotamia to get the job done. Ali Jasim was a star performer in qualifying with two goals and the 22-year-old forward will no doubt be called upon again in Monterrey, as will veteran goal-getter Aymen Hussein, who notched eight goals in the preliminaries. Injuries to experienced goalkeeper Jalal Hassan and left-back Ahmed Yaya mean Arnold’s full throttle attack will need to be on-song.