New Caledonia and Jamaica are just two wins away from reaching the FIFA World Cup 2026. The pair clash on March 26 at one of the summer’s World Cup venues, the Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Mexico, and you could be there by claiming your seat in the stadium today.
Let GOAL give you all the vital ticket information you need for the upcoming Inter-Confederation World Cup Qualifying Play-off semi-final, including how much they will cost and how you can purchase them.
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When is the New Caledonia vs Jamaica World Cup Qualifier?
Six FIFA World Cup 2026 spots are still up for grabs, and two of them will be filled by sides who are successful during the IC (Inter-Confederation) play-offs this March.
The winner of the New Caledonia vs Jamaica match will remain in Zapopan, where they will take on DR Congo on March 31. Victory there earns an invite to the global soccer party.
| Date | Fixture (local time) | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Mar 26 | New Caledonia vs Jamaica (8pm) | Estadio Akron (Zapopan, Mexico) | Tickets |
What is the World Cup Qualifying Play-Off schedule?
The winners of the all the various path/pathway finals will fill the remaining six places at this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026.
Inter-Confederation World Cup Qualifying Play-offs
| Date | Fixture (local time) | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Mar 26 | Pathway 1 S/F: New Caledonia vs Jamaica (8pm) | Estadio Akron (Zapopan) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Pathway 2 S/F: Bolivia vs Suriname (5pm) | Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe) | Tickets |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Pathway 1 Final: DR Congo vs TBC (3pm) | Estadio Akron (Zapopan) | Tickets |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Pathway 2 Final: Iraq vs TBC (9pm) | Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe) | Tickets |
UEFA World Cup Qualifying Play-offs
| Date | Fixture (local time) | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path A S/F: Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (7.45pm) | Cardiff City Stadium (Cardiff) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path A S/F: Italy vs Northern Ireland (8.45pm) | Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia (Bergamo) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path B S/F: Ukraine vs Sweden (8.45pm) | Estadio Ciutat de Valencia (Valencia) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path B S/F: Poland vs Albania (8.45pm) | Stadion Narodowy (Warsaw) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path C S/F: Turkiye vs Romania (6pm) | Besiktas Stadium (Istanbul) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path C S/F: Slovakia vs Kosovo (8.45pm) | Tehelne pole (Bratislava) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path D S/F: Denmark vs North Macedonia (8.45pm) | Parken Stadium (Copenhagen) | Tickets |
| Thu, Mar 26 | Path D S/F: Czech Rep vs Rep of Ireland (8.45pm) | Fortuna Arena (Prague) | Tickets |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Path A Final: Wales/Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Italy/Northern Ireland (8.45pm) | TBC | Tickets |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Path B Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs Poland/Albania (8.45pm) | TBC | Tickets |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Path C Final: Turkiye/Romania vs Slovakia/Kosovo (8.45pm) | TBC | Tickets |
| Tue, Mar 31 | Path D Final: Denmark/North Macedonia vs Czech Rep vs Rep of Ireland (8.45pm) | TBC | Tickets |
How to buy New Caledonia vs Jamaica World Cup Qualifier tickets
Tickets for New Caledonia vs Jamaica are due to go on sale on FIFA's site on February 26.
To purchase official tickets, you must visit the FIFA ticketing portal and register for an account. You can then log in to your FIFA account and check out ticket availability.
While the FIFA portal is the safest way for supporters to purchase match tickets, those looking to attend the New Caledonia vs Jamaica play-off may wish to consider secondary resale sites such as Ticombo, which could give them the best opportunity of obtaining tickets.
New Caledonia vs Jamaica World Cup Qualifier: How much will tickets cost?
It's expected that the price structure for New Caledonia vs Jamaica match tickets will be similar to the one that's been in place for FIFA World Cup matches in the summer.
In that respect, match tickets are split into the following categories:
- Category 1: The most expensive, located in the lower seating tier.
- Category 2: Spans both upper and lower tiers outside Category 1 areas.
- Category 3: Mainly in the upper tier, beyond Categories 1 and 2.
- Category 4: The most affordable, located in the upper tier outside the other categories.
Tickets are likely to be available from $60 upwards, which was the starting price for many of the World Cup group matches when they first went on sale last year.
Remember to keep tabs on the FIFA site for additional information and also on secondary resale sites such as Ticombo for current ticket availability.
What to expect from New Caledonia vs Jamaica?
Jamaican fans have been patiently waiting for their side to return to the global soccer stage. It's been 18 years since The Reggae Boyz made their first and only World Cup appearance.
At the 1998 World Cup, Jamaica suffered heavy defeats against Croatia and Argentina, but they would bow out of the competition on a high after a 2-0 victory against Japan in their final group game. Having missed out on automatic qualification to this year’s World Cup by just a single point, they now get a second chance of joining the summer party.
Jamaica’s opponents in Mexico, New Caledonia, are attempting to reach new heights and qualify for the World Cup for the very first time. The South Pacific islanders, who have a population of just over 250,000, have benefitted from the fact that the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) have been handed an automatic berth in the World Cup Finals this time around.
New Zealand may have clinched that No.1 spot for the region, but It means New Caledonia also get a chance to join them in North America this summer via the play-off route. Les Cagous, who sit 149th in the FIFA world list, are the lowest ranked side left in the competition.
Along with the Inter-Confederation play-off semi-final (New Caledonia vs Jamaica) and the subsequent play-off final, the Estadio Akron in Zapopan is also staging the following four matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the summer:
- June 11: South Korea vs UEFA Path D winner (8pm)
- June 18: Mexico vs South Korea (7pm)
- June 23: Colombia vs IC Path 1 winner (8pm)
- June 26: Uruguay vs Spain (6pm)
So, the winners of New Caledonia vs Jamaica could be back at the Estadio Akron on June 23 if their play-off campaign ends on a high.
What is the format for the Inter-Confederation World Cup Qualifying Play-offs?
Each confederation (aside from UEFA, which has its own play-offs system) received one World Cup Qualifying play-off slot. Those confederations being CONCACAF, AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC. CONCACAF received an additional slot, as a result of their nations being World Cup hosts.
The play-off tournament will be held in Mexico and features six teams, split into two brackets of three teams, with both bracket winners qualifying for the World Cup. The teams were seeded into brackets based on the FIFA Men's World Ranking. Each bracket features two unseeded teams facing each other in a semi-final, with the winner advancing to the play-off final against a seeded team.
The play-offs will be played in single-leg knockout matches. If scores are level at the end of normal time, extra time will be played. If the scores remain tied, a penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner.