World Cup 2026 International Playoff tournament: 6 nations to face off for two World Cup berths

Two spots in the World Cup are on the line when six teams from around the world face off in the International Playoff tournament that starts Thursday.

The 2026 World Cup field is nearly set. Most of the teams have already qualified and even know the group they are in. However, several spots still remain and players are getting ready for their shot at playing on the world’s biggest sports stage.

Six teams — two teams from CONCACAF (Jamaica, Suriname) and one each from Asia (Iraq), Africa (DR Congo), South America (Bolivia) and Oceania (New Caledonia) — will take to the pitch to decide which two teams will advance to the World Cup.

Who's playing

What we know:

The six teams competing in the 2026 Play-Off Tournament come from five of FIFA’s six continental governing bodies. They are: 

• Bolivia
• Congo DR
• Iraq
• Jamaica
• New Caledonia
• Suriname

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What we don't know:

In addition to the International Playoff, four other slots are yet to be decided. Teams from the Union of European Football Associations) (UEFA), the only governing body not competing in the playoff, will fight it out in a separate tournament that will decide those berths. 

How the World Cup playoffs work

The six participating countries and their respective matchups were decided in November. The four teams that were ranked the lowest in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking were paired up and divided into two matches.

On March 26, New Caledonia faces Jamaica in Match 1, while Match 2 has Bolivia taking on Suriname.

The winner of Match 1 will go on to play Congo DR, while the Match 2 winner meets Iraq, with the winners of those contests earning a spot in the World Cup.

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In December, a draw ceremony for the divided a record 48 teams into 12 groups of four that included placeholder spots for the teams yet to be decided: 

• Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, European Playoff D
• Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, European Playoff A
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
• Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, European Playoff C
• Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, European Playoff B
• Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
• Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Intercontinental Playoff 2
• Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
• Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Intercontinental Playoff 1
• Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

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What's next:

The tournament begins on June 11 when Mexico squares off with South Africa, and the United States is slated to play Paraguay two days later in Los Angeles.

The 2026 World Cup is the 23rd edition of soccer’s most prestigious tournament. The four dozen teams heading to Canada, Mexico, and the United States is the largest field in the history of the event, which began in 1930.

The U.S. will host games in Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Inglewood, California; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami Gardens, Florida; Philadelphia, Seattle; and San Jose, California.

Soccer fans in Canada will descend on Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia, for World Cup matches. In Mexico, games will be played in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. 

It all culminates on July 19 with the World Cup final at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. 

Four years ago, an estimated 1.4 billion people tuned in to see Argentina defeat France and claim the 2022 championship.