FIFA officially held the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifying play-offs in the European zone at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday.
The play-offs are for UEFA's final four spots in the finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The draw, led by Italian legend Marco Materazzi and former Swedish striker Martin Dahlin, also includes an intercontinental play-off draw before focusing on the European play-offs.
A total of 16 teams participated, consisting of the 12 runners-up of the qualifying groups and the four best teams from the UEFA Nations League route that had not yet qualified directly.
The sixteen teams were divided into four pots based on the latest FIFA rankings (Pot 4 was filled with Nations League teams).
Next, they are split into four separate paths (Path A, B, C, D) with a mini-tournament format: single-leg semifinals and single-leg finals.
The teams in Pots 1 and 2 automatically host the semifinals. The semifinal pairings are determined by a Pot 1 vs. Pot 4 and Pot 2 vs. Pot 3 matchup.
The semi-finals will be held on March 26, 2026, while the finals for each Path will take place on March 31, 2026. The winners of each Path will complete the 16 European representatives at the 2026 World Cup.
