Cairo, Egypt – The draw for the World Cup 2026 qualifying play-offs resulted in the Iraqi national team being placed in the second path, to meet the winner of the match between Bolivia and Suriname.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo was placed in the first path, and will face the winner of the match between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
The World Cup play-off matches are scheduled to take place in Mexico from March 23 to 31, 2026.
The global play-offs will feature 6 teams from 5 continental federations, with one team each from Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania, and two teams from CONCACAF.
Only two teams qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup from the global play-offs.
The 2026 World Cup finals will be held with 48 teams for the first time in history, and will be hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Results of the draw for the World Cup 2026 qualifying play-offs
Democratic Republic of Congo: First path.. and awaits the winner of the match between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
Iraq: The second path.. awaits the winner of the match between Bolivia and Suriname.
According to the FIFA world rankings for November 2025, the rankings of the teams participating in the World Cup play-offs were as follows:
Iraq: 58th globally.
Jamaica: 70th globally.
Bolivia: 76th globally.
Suriname: 123rd globally.
New Caledonia: 149th globally.
Based on this classification, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq were placed in the final match for each path.
