FIFA has announced that the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification playoff will take place on November 20 in Zurich, Switzerland. The ceremony will start at 2:00 PM Kyiv time.
The draw will take place two days after the end of the November international window, after which the 42 participants of the World Cup will be known. The final six will be determined by the results of the playoffs in March 2026: six teams will compete for two spots in the intercontinental playoff, while four more will be contested in the European playoff involving 16 teams.
The intercontinental playoff will include two finals, where the winners of two semifinals among unseeded teams will face the two seeded teams. The winners of these two finals will receive the final licenses.
The European playoff will feature 12 teams that will finish second in their 2026 World Cup qualification groups, and the four best group winners of the UEFA Nations League. The 16 teams will be divided into four playoff paths, with four teams in each. Matches will be held in a semifinal and final format in each path. The winner of each path will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
To ensure the lottery procedure, the next FIFA ranking will be published on November 19.
As of today, 28 teams have already claimed spots in the final tournament, while another 14 teams—three from CONCACAF and 11 from UEFA—will be determined in November based on the results of the group tournaments.
The 2026 World Cup — the first in history to feature 48 teams in the final stage. There will be 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 16.
The matches of the 23rd World Cup will take place in 16 cities. These will include: in Canada — Toronto and Vancouver; in Mexico — Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey; in the USA — Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.
The World Cup opening match will be on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, and the final match on July 19 will be hosted by New York.
The draw will take place on December 5.