When is the World Cup 2026 inter-continental play-off draw? Date, format, rules and fixture dates

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Six teams from five confederations will battle out for the final two World Cup places next year

The World Cup trophy is seen during rehearsal ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw at Doha Exhibition Center on April 01, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
The World Cup trophy (Image credit: Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The latest international break has seen a host of nations book their spot in next summer's World Cup.

Joining co-hosts the USA, Mexico and Canada next summer will be perennial contenders Brazil, Argentina, France, England and Croatia, but the final few spots will not be known until next March when the various play-offs will be confirmed, meaning there will be some nervous waits over the coming months.

When is the inter-continental World Cup play-off draw, what is the format and who has qualified?

The inter-continental play-off tournament will see six teams battle for the final two spots at the 2026 World Cup and will involve sides from four different confederations.

The draw will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, November 20 from 12:00 GMT alongside the UEFA play-off draw.

Bolivia have sealed their spot in the draw

Bolivia have sealed their spot in the draw

Format-wise, the two teams with the highest FIFA ranking will be seeded and go straight through to the one-legged play-off final. The remaining four sides will be drawn against each other and play a single-match semi-final, where one of the two top-ranked sides will be awaiting them.

In terms of who will make up their draw, it will consist of one side from CONMEBOL, one from Oceania, one from Asia, one from Africa and two from CONCACAF.

Bolivia, New Caledonia and DR Congo have already secured their spots in the draw.

Asia will send either Iraq or the United Arab Emirates, while the CONCACAF representatives will be two from the following: Suriname, Panama, Curacao, Jamaica, Honduras, Haiti or Costa Rica.

Supporters of the Democratic Republic of Congo cheer in the stands ahead of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) group stage football match between Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, on August 3, 2025. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP)

The Democratic Republic of Congo are CAF's representatives in the draw (Image credit: Getty Images)

The play-off tournament itself will reportedly be played in Mexico at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, two of the venues being used in next summer's World Cup.

Dates are to be confirmed, but the matches will be played in March and after these and the European play-offs are completed, we will know all 48 sides that will be competing for the World Cup next summer.

Joe Mewis
Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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