World Cup play-offs explained: How Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland can still qualify for tournament
Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have the chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup through play-offs in March; Wales could face Northern Ireland in the play-off final; the winners of the four play-off finals qualify for the World Cup
Thursday 20 November 2025 13:44, UK
Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are headed for the World Cup play-offs with their hopes of qualifying for next summer's tournament still alive - so how do they work?
Gone are the days when UEFA qualifying group winners reached the finals, and the second-placed teams played each other to join them.
For the second cycle in a row, countries that have finished outside the top two of their UEFA qualifying group but performed well in the 2024/25 Nations League tournament will get a second bite of the cherry - but they will claim two extra play-off spots compared to the 2022 World Cup.
Here's a handy guide about how they work...
- Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland discover World Cup play-off ties
- Who has qualified for 2026 World Cup and when's the draw?
- World Cup qualifying fixtures and results
What's the format of the play-offs and who's in them?
The World Cup play-offs consist of four 'paths', one for each vacant spot at the finals.
The semi-finals will take place on Thursday March 26 and the finals on Tuesday March 31 with kick-off times of 5pm or 7.45pm.
The play-offs feature one-legged semi-finals and then a final.
Play-off Path A:
Semi-final: Italy vs Northern Ireland
Semi-final: Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy/Northern Ireland
Play-off Path B:
Semi-final: Ukraine vs Sweden
Semi-final: Poland vs Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs Poland/Albania
Play-off Path C:
Semi-final: Turkey vs Romania
Semi-final: Slovakia vs Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo vs Turkey/Romania
Play-off Path D:
Semi-final: Denmark vs North Macedonia
Semi-final: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
Final: Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland vs Denmark/North Macedonia
How were the paths decided?
Every path includes a team from each of four seeding pots, with Pots 1-3 decided by November's FIFA World Rankings, while Pot 4 consists of the four countries qualifying through their Nations League performance.
- Pot 1 vs Pot 4
- Pot 2 vs Pot 3
The winner of the Pot 1 vs Pot 4 semi-final will then face the winner of the Pot 2 vs Pot 3 from their path semi-final for a place in the USA, Canada and Mexico World Cup.
The pots were:
- Pot 1: Italy, Ukraine, Turkey, Denmark.
- Pot 2: Wales, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic.
- Pot 3: Kosovo, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania.
- Pot 4: Romania, Northern Ireland, Sweden, North Macedonia.
How did teams qualify for the World Cup play-offs?
For the first time, 16 European teams will play at the World Cup owing to the 50 per cent increase in the size of the 2026 tournament. Of those, 12 places are reserved for UEFA qualifying group winners, with the other four coming via the play-offs.
The 12 group runners-up will be joined by four teams who finished outside the top two of their respective qualifying groups, who were the 'best performers' in the 2024/25 Nations League.
Here are the final standings from each of the 12 groups:
- Group A: Germany qualified, Slovakia and Northern Ireland into play-offs
- Group B: Switzerland qualified, Kosovo and Sweden into play-offs
- Group C: Scotland qualified, Denmark into play-offs
- Group D: France qualified, Ukraine into play-offs
- Group E: Spain qualified, Turkey into play-offs
- Group F: Portugal qualified, Republic of Ireland into play-offs
- Group G: Netherlands qualified, Poland into play-offs
- Group H: Austria qualified, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania into play-offs
- Group I: Norway qualified, Italy into play-offs
- Group J: Belgium qualified, Wales and North Macedonia into play-offs
- Group K: England qualified, Albania into play-offs
- Group L: Croatia qualified, Czech Republic into play-offs
Could every home nation be at the World Cup?
No! Wales and Northern Ireland have been drawn in the same play-off path which means at least one of them will not qualify.
How does UEFA decide Nations League performance?
UEFA ranks Nations League teams first by the number of points won by group winners, from the top tier down to the fourth. More often than not, this means the four additional play-off spots are filled by four of the 14 Nations League group winners.
Who has qualified already for World Cup?
Forty-two teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup so far, with a list below:
