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FIFA World Cup 2026: Final chance for 22 teams to grab remaining 6 spots | Football News

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The race to complete the lineup for the historic 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 is reaching its climax. Six remaining spots will be decided through the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and the UEFA play-offs. Alongside confirming the final participants, this decisive window will also lock in the tournament schedule for the competition in North America.

 


With high stakes and intense matchups ahead, 22 teams across continents are preparing for defining moments that could secure their place on football’s biggest stage.

 

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FIFA Play-Off Tournament 

Path 1 Showdown 

FIFA World Cup playoffs Path 1 schedule

Stage

Date

Match

Stakes

Semi-final

26/03/26

New Caledonia vs Jamaica

Winner advances to final

Final

31/03/26

Winner of Semi-final vs DR Congo

Winner qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026

 
 


New Caledonia will take on Jamaica in the semi-final on 26 March. The winner advances to face DR Congo in the final on 31 March. New Caledonia are chasing a historic first-ever World Cup qualification. Jamaica last featured in the tournament in 1998. DR Congo, formerly known as Zaire, made their only appearance back in 1974. 

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Path 2 Battle 

FIFA World Cup playoffs Path 2 schedule

Stage

Date

Match

Stakes

Semi-final

26/03/26

Bolivia vs Suriname

Bolivia chasing 4th WC; Suriname aiming for debut

Final

31/03/26

Winner of Semi-final vs Iraq

Winner qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026 (Iraq last appeared in 1986)

 


Bolivia, aiming to return to the World Cup for the fourth time (after 1930, 1950, and 1994), must first get past Suriname, a team hoping to qualify for the very first time. 


The winner of this encounter will then face Iraq in the final. Iraq’s only World Cup appearance came in 1986.

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UEFA Play-Offs 

Path A: Italy’s Redemption Quest 

FIFA World Cup playoffs (UEFA) Path A schedule

Stage

Date

Match

Stakes

Semi-final 1

26/03/26

Italy vs Northern Ireland

Italy aiming to avoid third straight WC absence

Semi-final 2

26/03/26

Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Winner advances to final

Final

31/03/26

Italy/Northern Ireland winner vs Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina winner

Winner qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026

 

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Italy, looking to avoid missing out on a third consecutive World Cup, begin with a clash against Northern Ireland on 26 March. If they progress, they will face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the decisive match.  

 

Path B: Fierce European Rivalries 

FIFA World Cup playoffs (UEFA) Path B schedule

Stage

Date

Match

Stakes

Semi-final 1

26/03/26

Sweden vs Ukraine

Winner advances to final

Semi-final 2

26/03/26

Poland vs Albania

Albania chasing first-ever World Cup spot

Final

31/03/26

Sweden/Ukraine winner vs Poland/Albania winner

Winner qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026

 

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Sweden will battle Ukraine in one semi-final, while Poland, led by star striker Robert Lewandowski, take on Albania. Notably, Albania are the only team in this group yet to qualify for a World Cup.

 

Path C: Long-Awaited Returns 

FIFA World Cup playoffs (UEFA) Path C schedule

Stage

Date

Match

Notes

Semi-final 1

26/03/26

Norway / Austria / Scotland vs Türkiye

Teams aiming to return after long absences (Norway, Austria, Scotland since 1998; Türkiye since 2002)

Semi-final 2

26/03/26

Slovakia vs Kosovo

Kosovo aiming for historic World Cup debut

Final

31/03/26

Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2

Winner qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026

 

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Several teams are eyeing a return after long absences. While Norway, Austria, and Scotland have not featured since 1998, Romania must also first overcome Türkiye, who last appeared in 2002.

 


In the other tie, Slovakia face Kosovo, with the latter hoping to secure a historic debut qualification.

 

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Path D: One Last Chance 

FIFA World Cup playoffs (UEFA) Path D schedule

Stage

Date

Match

Stakes

Semi-final 1

26/03/26

Denmark vs North Macedonia

Denmark seeking another chance after missing direct qualification

Semi-final 2

26/03/26

Czechia vs Republic of Ireland

Ireland aiming to return to World Cup for first time since 2002

Final

31/03/26

Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2

Winner qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2026

 


Denmark, who narrowly missed direct qualification after a defeat to Scotland, get another opportunity as they face North Macedonia. Meanwhile, Czechia will go up against the Republic of Ireland, who are aiming to end their World Cup drought dating back to 2002. 
Teams already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026


  • United States

  • Canada

  • Mexico

  • Morocco

  • Senegal

  • Egypt

  • Nigeria

  • Cameroon

  • Algeria

  • Tunisia

  • Ghana

  • Ivory Coast

  • Japan

  • South Korea

  • Iran

  • Australia

  • Saudi Arabia

  • Qatar

  • Uzbekistan

  • United Arab Emirates

  • France

  • Germany

  • Spain

  • England

  • Portugal

  • Netherlands

  • Belgium

  • Croatia

  • Switzerland

  • Serbia

  • Denmark

  • Hungary

  • Brazil

  • Argentina

  • Uruguay

  • Colombia

  • Ecuador

  • Chile

  • Costa Rica

  • Panama

  • Jamaica

  • Honduras

 

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Coco Gauff rallies to win for 2nd straight day at Miami Open

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Tennis: Miami OpenMar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Coco Gauff (USA) hits a forehand against Alycia Parks (USA) (not pictured) on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Coco Gauff rallied from dropping the first set to beat fellow American Alycia Parks 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 to advance into the Round of 16 in the Miami Open on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

It was the second straight day that the fourth-seeded Gauff dropped the first set but came back to win the match. She saved 14 of 16 break-point chances she faced, including all 10 over the adverse final two sets, which were a tougher battle than the scoreline indicates.

Parks won 49% of her service points and 40% of her return points, with both competitors finishing with eight double faults.

“It was really difficult,” Gauff said after her win. “She was playing really well and she’s one of those people who’s hit or miss sometimes. So, you’re stuck in the fine line of being aggressive but also maybe just making her play. … The second and third (sets), I just tried to be aggressive when I could. I made some adjustments on the return and I think that made a difference.”

It was largely a day without upsets in Miami, with only a pair of seeded competitors falling to unseeded foes.

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Australia’s Talia Gibson knocked off 16th-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan 7-5, 6-4 in second-round competition. Osaka had 13 aces to one double fault but was unable to break Gibson, failing in all four opportunities she had. Gibson managed a break in each set, at 5-5 in Set 1 and in the opening game of Set 2, winning 69% of her service points and just 33% of her return points to build off reaching the Indian Wells quarterfinals earlier this month.

“I was able to draw on some experiences from Indian Wells to stay calm,” Gibson said. “It’s been really cool to see what I am capable of, and it’s really exciting for me.”

In Round of 32 action, Romania’s Sorana Cirstea eliminated No. 21 Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-3, 6-2, setting herself up as Gauff’s next opponent with a quarterfinal spot up for grabs.

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In other third-round action, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 10 Victoria Mboko of Canada, No. 12 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 13 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic and No. 31 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines all advanced to the Round of 16 with straight-set victories.

In Round of 64 action on Saturday, a trio of seeded Americans in No. 5 Jessica Pegula (the runner-up last year in Miami), No. 15 Madison Keys and No. 18 Iva Jovic advanced with minimal resistance. Pegula won via second-set retirement but was up 6-1, 3-0 and appeared poised to close out the match in the near future.

An unseeded American, Sloane Stephens, had less success in the Round of 64, falling to No. 23 Qinwen Zheng 6-3, 6-2.

In one of only two three-set matches of the day, Canadian 26th seed Leylah Fernandez outlasted Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-1 in a two-hour, 25-minute battle. Fernandez next faces Pegula for a spot in the fourth round.

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–Field Level Media

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Jon Jones: “I’ll pay them double what the UFC offered”

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It appears Eddie Hearn would have been game to make Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones, were they not under contract with the UFC. Not only that, the Matchroom Boxing chairman says he’d have happily paid both fighters double what the UFC would’ve offered them.

While Jones never entertained a title unification with Aspinall, during his tenure as the heavyweight champion, a prominent narrative was that the bout never materialized because Dana White and the UFC failed to match the New Yorker’s financial demands.

Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency now represents Aspinall and recently slammed the world’s premier MMA promotion over the Brit’s contract, which he deems unfair.

Speaking with ProBoxingFans following this weekend’s Matchroom Boxing card, Hearn said:

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“They [Jones and Aspinall] are under contract. If they weren’t under contract, I could do Aspinall against Jon Jones, and I’ll pay them double what the UFC offered them, probably.”

Hearn then went on to insist that the headliners around whom the cards are built deserve a bigger share of the revenue in general:

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“If you do Tom Aspinall against [Alex] Pereira for the world heavyweight championship, respect the guy, will you? If there is $100 million in the pot, don’t give me a million. He is the defending champion. It’s a joke. They are going to have to do something. They are in a bad, bad situation at the moment.”

Check out Eddie Hearn’s comments on Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones below:

Aspinall was forced into a hiatus from MMA after suffering debilitating eye pokes from Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in October. After multiple surgical procedures, the UFC heavyweight champion finally returned to training earlier this week.

Gane is scheduled to face Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 in June. The winner of the fight is expected to be Aspinall’s comeback opponent.