"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. The UEFA qualification campaign will culminate in 16 sides duking it out for the four last European spots, but that's not the only set of play-offs before next summer's tournament."
"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 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."
Co-hosts USA, Mexico and Canada qualify automatically for World Cup 2026 alongside Brazil, Argentina, France, England and Croatia. Remaining spots will be decided by regional play-offs, with UEFA using a 16-team path for four European places. An intercontinental play-off tournament will award two final World Cup berths to six teams from four confederations. The draw takes place on 20 November in Zurich. The two highest-ranked sides will be seeded into single-match finals, while the other four play single-match semi-finals. The intercontinental draw will contain one CONMEBOL, one Oceania, one Asian, one African and two CONCACAF teams. Bolivia, New Caledonia and DR Congo have already qualified for that draw.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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