2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Playoffs: Semifinal Round Results, and Final Round Preview and Predictions
Image Credit: Christian Lue
As of writing, 42 nations have qualified for the newly expanded 48-nation FIFA World Cup, which will take place in June and July 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The remaining six nations will qualify via the upcoming playoffs: the European playoffs (hereafter referred to as Europe) and the Intercontinental Playoffs (ICP). Four nations will qualify from Europe and two more will advance via the ICP.
Semifinal Round Results
The eight participants in the final round of the European playoffs won their semifinal matches, which occurred on March 26. The European semifinal results were the following:
Path A: 🇮🇹 Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland
Path A: 🏴 Wales 1-1 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina (Bosnia won on penalties)
Path B: 🇵🇱 Poland 2-1 🇦🇱 Albania
Path B: 🇺🇦 Ukraine 1-3 🇸🇪 Sweden
Path C: 🇸🇰 Slovakia 3-4 🇽🇰 Kosovo
Path C: 🇹🇷 Türkiye 1-0 🇷🇴 Romania
Path D: 🇨🇿 Czechia 2-2 🇮🇪 Ireland (Czechia won on penalties)
Path D: 🇩🇰 Denmark 4-0 🇲🇰 North Macedonia
Regarding the ICP, the four participants in that competition’s final round include two semifinal winners, and DR Congo and Iraq, which had qualified automatically for the final round due to their higher ranks in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings compared to fellow ICP participants. The ICP semifinal results were the following:
Path A: 🇧🇴 Bolivia 2-1 🇸🇷 Suriname
Path B: 🇳🇨 New Caledonia 0-1 🇯🇲 Jamaica
Final Round Schedules
After the semifinal round results in Europe and in the ICP from March 26, only eight nations remain in Europe and another four in the ICP. The six final-round matches — four in Europe and two in the ICP — will take place on March 31.
The schedules for final round for both playoffs are as follows:
European Playoffs
Path A: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy, Stadion Bilino Polje, Zenica (14:45)
Path B: Sweden vs Poland, Strawberry Arena, Solna (14:45)
Path C: Kosovo vs Türkiye, Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina (14:45)
Path D: Czechia vs Denmark, Epet Arena, Prague (14:45)
Intercontinental Playoffs
Path A: DR Congo vs Jamaica, Estadio Akron, Guadalajara (17:00)
Path B: Iraq vs Bolivia, Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (23:00)
The outcome is simple: the six match-winners will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Nation Previews
Europe
Below is a preview of each of the eight nations that have clinched a berth for the final round of the European Playoffs.
Path A
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nickname: Zmajevi ("The Dragons")
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 1 (2014)
European playoffs semifinals result: away win on penalties vs Wales (1-1 after extra-time)
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 5 wins (W), 3 draws (D),* 1 loss (L)
🇮🇹 Italy
Nickname: Gli Azzuri (“The Blues”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 18 (2014)
European playoffs semifinals result: 2-0 home win vs Northern Ireland
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 7W, 2L
Path B
🇵🇱 Poland
Nicknames: Biało-czerwoni (“The White and Reds”) and Orły (“The Eagles”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 9 (2022)
European playoffs semifinals result: 2-1 home win vs Albania
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 6W, 2D 1L
🇸🇪 Sweden
Nickname: Blågult (“The Blue-Yellow”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 12 (2018)
European playoffs semifinals result: 3-1 away win vs Ukraine
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 1W, 2D, 4L (advanced to European playoffs via UNL)
Path C
🇽🇰 Kosovo
Nickname: Dardanët (“The Dardanians”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances: Never qualified
European playoffs semifinals result: 4-3 away win vs Slovakia
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 4W, 2D, 1L
🇹🇷 Türkiye
Nickname: Ay-Yildizlilar, ("The Crescent-Stars")
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 2 (2002)
European playoffs semifinals result: 1-0 home win vs Romania
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 5W, 1L, 1L
Path D
🇨🇿 Czechia
Nickname: Nároďák (“The National Team”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 9 (2006)*
European playoffs semifinals result: home win on penalties vs Ireland (2-2 after extra-time)
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 5W, 2D, 2L
🇩🇰 Denmark
Nicknames: Danish Dynamite and De-Rød-Hvide (“The Red and Whites)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 6 (2022)
European playoffs semifinals result: 4-0 home win vs North Macedonia
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers record: 4W, 2D 1L
Intercontinental Playoffs
Below is a preview of each of the four nations that have clinched a berth for the final round the ICP.
Path A
🇨🇩 DR Congo
Nickname: Les Léopards ("The Leopards")
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 1 (1974)
Intercontinental Playoffs (ICP) semifinals result: N/A, awarded bye to the ICP finals
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers overall record: 8 wins (W), 2 draws (D),* 2 losses (L)
🇯🇲 Jamaica
Nickname: The Reggae Boys (“The Kagus”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 1 (1998)
Intercontinental Playoffs semifinals result: 1-0 win vs New Caledonia
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers overall record: 8W, 2D, 1L
Path B
🇧🇴 Bolivia
Nickname: La Verde (“The Green”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 3 (1998)
Intercontinental Playoffs semifinals result: 2-1 win vs Suriname
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers overall record: 7W, 2L, 10L
🇮🇶 Iraq
Nicknames: Usood Al-Rafidain (“The Lions of Mesopotamia”)
Number of FIFA World Cup tournament appearances (last appearance): 1 (1986)
Intercontinental Playoffs semifinals result: N/A, awarded bye to the ICP finals
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers overall record: 12W, 5D 3L
Playoffs Path Brackets and Final Round Predictions
Paths A & B
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Path A and Path B Brackets and Final Round Predictions.
Paths C & D
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Path C and Path D Brackets and Final Round Predictions.
As indicated in the European Playoffs brackets, our four predicted World Cup qualifying nations from Europe are the following:
Path A: Italy
Path B: Sweden
Path C: Türkiye
Path D: Denmark
Intercontinental Playoffs Paths A & B
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Path A and Path B Brackets and Final Round Predictions.
Moreover, based on the ICP brackets, our two predicted World Cup qualifying nations from the ICP are the following:
Path A: DR Congo
Path B: Bolivia
*Draws include victories via penalty shoot-outs; they do not include victories via extra-time, which for purposes of this article, are included among “wins”.
