As already reported, possible opponents for the Ukrainian national team in the play-off qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup will be the national teams of Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, and Northern Ireland.
Photo — Oleksandr PopovRecall that this stage itself consists of two phases — semi-finals and finals. According to the tournament regulations, the hosts in the semi-final pairs will be the teams that are higher in the FIFA national team rankings than their opponents. This means that regardless of the draw result, the Ukrainian national team will be the host of the field in the semi-final play-off match, as it is currently ranked higher in the FIFA rankings than all of its potential opponents (Ukraine — 27th place, Sweden — 40th, Romania — 47th, North Macedonia — 65th, Northern Ireland — 69th).
Recall, the draw for the play-off qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup will take place tomorrow, November 20 (starting at 14:00 Kyiv time).
