FIFA defines playoff brackets for the 2026 World Cup in a draw this Thursday in Zurich By Thiago Lemos
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Fifa sorteia nesta quinta-feira (20) as chaves das repescagens que definirão as últimas seis vagas da Copa do Mundo de 2026. O evento ocorre às 9h (horário de Brasília), em Zurique, na Suíça, com transmissão ao vivo pelos canais oficiais da entidade. The intercontinental playoff will be defined for Primeiro, with six teams, and then the Europa exclusive playoff, with 16 teams.
The global repechage brings together representatives from five confederations and distributes two direct places to the Mundial. Já the European repechage offers four additional places in its own format. Os games are scheduled for March 2026.
These teams are still in the hunt for a #FIFAWorldCup spot 👀#WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/0R0BAB3Zxq
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 19, 2025
Intercontinental playoff participants
Bolivia represents América of Sul in the world playoff. Iraque comes from Ásia, while República Democrática from Congo competes for África.
Oceania has Nova Caledônia as its representative. Jamaica and Suriname complete the list by Concacaf.
The format foresees semi-finals between four teams and finals against the two best ranked teams.
World playoff format
Os two teams with the best position in the Fifa ranking advance directly to the finals. The remaining four compete in two semi-finals defined by draw.
The winners face the top seeds in single games. Todos clashes take place between March 23 and 31, 2026 at Copa headquarters in Estados Unidos, Canadá or México.
The location also serves as an operational test for the main tournament.
European playoff with 16 teams
Poland, Itália, Albânia, Tchéquia, Romênia, Irlanda, Ucrânia and País from Gales are confirmed among the 12 runners-up in the qualifiers.
Slovakia, Kosovo, Dinamarca and Turquia also participate under the same criteria. Macedônia from Norte, Suécia, Romênia and Irlanda from Norte enter via Nations League.
The draw divides the teams into four groups with semi-finals and finals in a single match on March 26th and 31st, 2026.
Pot system on the Europa
Twelve teams from the qualifiers occupy pots 1, 2 and 3 according to the Fifa ranking. Quatro teams from Nations League form pot 4.
In the semifinals, pot 1 faces pot 4 and pot 2 plays against pot 3. Os four winners from each bracket guarantee their presence in Copa of Mundo in 2026.
The division maintains balance between participants.
Two repechage models
FIFA adopted separate repechages to take into account regional characteristics. Uefa has 16 teams competing internally for four places.
Other confederations only send one or two representatives to the global playoff. Formato increases classification chances for regions with fewer direct vacancies and preserves European competitiveness.
Broadcast and draw time
Event starts at 9am on Thursday (20) at Zurique. Canais and Fifa officials show the full draw live.
Order prioritizes definition of the intercontinental playoff before the European one. Resultados will be available immediately upon completion on the entity’s platforms.
