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The World Cup qualifiers are almost complete but for several countries an anxious wait remains before the full line-up for next summer’s tournament is confirmed.
There will be 16 European teams who advance to March’s play-offs, which will take place after the World Cup group-stage draw is conducted on 5 December. There are then just four more spots in the tournament.
Troy Parrott’s stunning last-minute winner against Hungary sent the Republic of Ireland through to a play-off behind group winners Portugal, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also assured of a play-off spot at the very least.
Troy Parrott was the hat-trick hero in Budapest as Ireland completed the comeback win over Hungary (REUTERS)
The play-offs will be played in single-leg knockout matches, with the draw determining the path. The 16 teams will be draw into four sets of four, leaving each nation two wins away from the World Cup as semi-finals and then a final are played.
Here’s everything you need to know
When is the World Cup play-off draw?
The Uefa play-off draw will take place on Thursday 20 November at 12pm GMT.
When do the play-offs take place?
The matches will be held in March 2026, with the semi-finals on 26 March and the finals on 31 March.
Who is in the play-offs?
The 12 group runners-up, including the Republic of Ireland, will be joined by the four best-ranked teams from the previous Nations League campaign who failed to finish in the top-two of first qualifying round, such as Northern Ireland.
The 16 teams will be split into four pots of four teams. Pot A to Pot C will be determined on Fifa ranking. Italy, who are ranked 9th and the highest-ranked European side to fail to automatically qualify, will be in Pot A, for example. Pot D will be the four teams who qualified via the Nations League.
Confirmed group runners-up (7/12): Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, Czech Republic
Confirmed Nations League teams (3/4): Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland
What about the inter-continental play-off draw?
This will also take place on Thursday 20 November and will feature six teams, with the top two teams based on Fifa rankings receiving a bye through to the finals.
Qualified (4/6): DR Congo, Bolivia, New Caledonia, Iraq
When is the World Cup 2026 draw?
The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place at 5pm GMT/12pm EST on Friday 5 December, at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The US president Donald Trump is expected to be in attendance.
