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The bulk of Europe's representatives at the 2026 World Cup have been confirmed with the first round of the UEFA qualification phase wrapping up, but the identity of the final four teams won't be known until next March.
A total of 16 teams from UEFA will compete at the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada next year, with 12 automatic qualifiers from the qualification phase and four progressing through a play-off phase.
Here, GOAL explains how the European play-offs work, with key information such as the seeding and how to watch the draw live.
(For the intercontintental World Cup play-off tournament see here)
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- When is the World Cup 2026 play-off draw?
- Where to watch the World Cup 2026 play-off draw
- Which teams are in the UEFA play-offs for World Cup 2026?
- World Cup 2026 UEFA play-offs seeding pots
- How it works
- When will the World Cup 2026 European play-offs be played?
When is the World Cup 2026 play-off draw?
The draw takes place in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, November 20, 2025. It will take place after the draw for the inter-continental play-off tournament, which is scheduled to start at 12 noon GMT (7 am ET).
READ MORE: All the teams that have qualified for World Cup 2026
Where to watch the World Cup 2026 play-offs draw
FIFA+ and FIFA's official website will be streaming the draws worldwide, while the federation's official media partners will also broadcast them in their respective territories. It will also be available to stream live on the official FIFA YouTube channel.
If the video does not play, click here.
In the United States, the Fox (English) and Telemundo (Spanish) networks hold the rights to World Cup and World Cup qualification games, so the draw will be broadcast on their TV channels, which are also available to stream live through fubo.
In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, free-to-air networks BBC and ITV share the broadcast rights for the World Cup. The draw will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website.
Which teams are in the UEFA play-offs for World Cup 2026?
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The European play-offs for the 2026 World Cup will feature 16 teams - the 12 qualification group runners-up and the four best-ranked teams from the Nations League path.
Second-placed teams:
| Group | Team |
|---|---|
| A | 🇸🇰 Slovakia |
| B | 🇽🇰 Kosovo |
| C | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| D | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
| E | 🇹🇷 Turkiye |
| F | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
| G | 🇵🇱 Poland |
| H | 🇧🇦 Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| I | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| J | 🏴 Wales |
| K | 🇦🇱 Albania |
| L | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic |
Nations League teams:
- 🇷🇴 Romania
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- ☘️ Northern Ireland
- 🇲🇰 North Macedonia
STANDINGS: World Cup 2026 UEFA qualification tables
World Cup 2026 UEFA play-offs seeding pots
The teams will be divided into four seeding pots - two seeded and two unseeded - based on the FIFA World Ranking from November 19 2025. The 12 group runners-up from the qualification phase will be allocated to pots one to three, with the four teams from the Nations League path going into pot four as unseeded teams.
Each the eight semi-finals will be composed of a seeded team versus an unseeded team - teams from Pot 1 will be paired with teams from Pot 4 and teams from Pot 2 will play teams from Pot 3. Teams from Pots 1 and 4 will be allocated to semi-finals 1, 3, 5 and 7, while teams from Pots 2 and 3 will be allocated to semi-finals 2, 4, 6 and 8.
Seeded:
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
|---|---|
| Italy | Poland |
| Denmark | Wales |
| Turkey | Czechia |
| Ukraine | Slovakia |
Unseeded:
| Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|
| Ireland | Romania |
| Albania | Sweden |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | North Macedonia |
| Kosovo | Northern Ireland |
How the World Cup 2026 European play-offs work
The European play-offs will feature four paths - A, B, C and D. Each path contains four teams, drawn from each of the four pots. Within each pathway, there will be two semi-finals, with the winners of those semi-finals then contesting a final for the prize of a place at the 2026 World Cup.
As noted above, in each pathway, seeded teams will play against unseeded teams in the semi-finals, with teams from Pot 1 playing teams from Pot 4, while teams from Pot 2 will play teams from Pot 3.
So, for example, Italy (Pot 1) can be drawn against Sweden (Pot 4) in the semi-final, but not against Ireland (Pot 3), who can only potentially face Pot 2 teams (Poland, Wales, Czechia or Slovakia). However, in such a scenario should Italy beat Sweden, they will play a team from Pot 2 or 3 in the final.
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Confirmed UEFA play-offs paths
UPDATED: 12:45pm November 20, 2025
| Path | Semi-final 1 | Semi-final 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Italy vs Northern Ireland | Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina | Wales / Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Italy / Northern Ireland |
| B | Ukraine vs Sweden | Poland vs Albania | Ukraine / Sweden vs Poland / Albania |
| C | Turkiye vs Romania | Slovakia vs Kosovo | Slovakia / Kosovo vs Turkiye / Romania |
| D | Denmark vs North Macedonia | Czechia vs Ireland | Czechia / Ireland vs Denmark / North Macedonia |
Read the full report from the draw here
When will the World Cup 2026 European play-offs be played?
| Fixtures | Date |
|---|---|
| Semi-finals | March 26, 2025 |
| Finals | March 31, 2025 |
The World Cup play-offs will be played in March 2026. Semi-final games will take place on March 26, 2025, and the finals will be played on March 31, 2025.