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.

FIFA Play-Off Tournament 

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. 

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.

UEFA Play-Offs 

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.

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.

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

Carl Froch has proposed Anthony Joshua vs Moses Itauma as a possible heavyweight clash, believing that one man has a psychological advantage over the other.

The two Brits shared a gym while ‘AJ’ was still working with head coach Ben Davison, ahead of his fifth-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

The two-time world heavyweight champion then joined forces with Team Usyk, training alongside Oleksandr, before orchestrating a sixth-round finish over Jake Paul last December.

Shortly after that, though, it came to light that Joshua had been involved in a tragic car crash, where two of his closest friends ultimately lost their lives.

It then became increasingly unclear whether the 36-year-old would resume his career, but he has since returned to the gym ahead of what many suspect will be a tick-over fight this summer.

As for Itauma, it must be said the 21-year-old is gearing up for his toughest assignment thus far, against Jermaine Franklin, who he will face at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on March 28.

After that, Froch has suggested a potential showdown between Itauma and Joshua, with the Hall of Famer telling NewBettingSites.uk that he would favour the younger man to do the business.

“Out of any of the heavyweight ex-champs, I think ‘AJ’ would be Itauma’s best pick to look good against, because I think ‘AJ’’s not the force he was.

“Psychologically and mentally, he is not there anymore. He’s been banjoed a few times. I don’t think his heart’s in the fight game anymore. So, it’s a bad fight for ‘AJ’, yeah, and I think that Itauma probably beats him.”

While many are predicting Itauma to become the next dominant force in heavyweight boxing, he is ultimately yet to face any fighter of Joshua’s calibre.

This was a risky move. In just his second fight in the UFC, Liverpool’s Luke Riley was deployed in a co-main-event slot in London – a spot he admitted he had likely not earned.

The UFC’s intent was clear: with a certain friend, teammate and fellow Scouser in his corner, Riley would have extra eyes on him on Saturday. Of course, the man in question was Paddy Pimblett.

See, “Paddy The Baddy” was used in a very similar slot at the same stage of his UFC career. After a successful debut in 2021, Pimblett was third-from-top of the bill at UFC London in 2022, as the O2 Arena’s dome threatened to fall in on itself – such was the explosion of noise from fans. Now here was Riley, having scored a KO on his UFC debut in 2025, co-headlining UFC London in 2026.

It could, and probably should, have been Michael “Venom” Page instead, as 26-year-old Riley admitted on Wednesday. But it was Riley in the end, handed the ball and asked to sprint like his life depended on it.

First came the walk, though. Did Riley’s walkout have shades of Pimblett’s from four years ago? Soft shades, yes, and Riley did need to actively stir up some excitement in the O2’s onlookers while stepping in the cage. But they met Bruce Buffer’s in-ring announcement with support, if not the hysteria they showed Pimblett in 2022, and it only grew as the fight progressed.

They chanted Riley’s name in the early going, seemingly led by a contingent from Liverpool, and as he began to find the timing on his right cross, one distinctly Scouse voice urged: “SMASH HIS HEAD IN.”

Admittedly, Riley’s very success with that punch was a sign of Aswell’s own limitations, given he was caught out by the same strike on repeat. But Aswell, to his credit, eventually began to create angles in a bid to evade, which worked for a while until Riley increased his own inventiveness in response. And as Riley grew more inventive, the crowd grew more invested.

Still, it’s worth noting that Riley ate one clean shot for every two he landed as he sought a stoppage. Earlier in the night, after handily finishing Liverpool’s Kurtis Campbell, American Danny Silva referenced Pimblett’s most-famous quote by jibing: “They always say, ‘Scousers get knocked out.’ That’s all I have to say!” Pimblett’s words have not yet haunted him, and fortunately for Riley, they did not haunt him tonight either.

Ultimately, though, as the fans longed for a finish from Riley, they were left frustrated. Yet perhaps not as much as the UFC. They had contrived this card to enable a golden moment for Riley, but he could not produce the kind of polished performance they craved; he could not shine as they hoped.

Admittedly, Riley’s mission was made more difficult given – for the second fight in a row – he had to follow a defeat by his teammate Shem Rock.

In just the second fight of the night, Rock fell to a decision loss, one day after taunting opponent Abdul-Kareem Al-Sewady by faking a handshake only to shove him at the weigh-in.

After the final buzzer on Saturday, Rock was finally ready to shake hands but it was naive; Al-Sewady understandably refused, and Rock tried to slap him. Security held them apart, and in fairness, the fighters seemed to put their differences aside before Al-Sewady was declared the winner.

“It was a desperate attempt to try to get under my skin,” Al-Sewady later told media of Rock’s general behaviour. “[He’s] been in my DMs for the last month, him and his crew of guys. He came to me at the end and said: ‘It’s all business.’ I said: ‘It’s not all business. What you just did is very disrespectful to the sport.’ You don’t extend your hand for a handshake and then push someone.”

Speaking of pushing someone, the UFC is intent on doing just that to Riley. He is young and unbeaten, but he will grow as a fighter, just as Pimblett has since his watershed moment at the O2.

Even so, maybe it’s unfair to expect of Riley what Pimblett has gone on to achieve, just as the hopeful comparisons to Conor McGregor were unfair on Paddy four years ago.

Still, Pimblett exploded out of the UFC’s blocks in scintillating fashion. Riley? He was left to lament Aswell’s “cinder-block” skull.

Teddy Atlas has weighed up the attributes and limitations of Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, predicting who will emerge triumphant on May 9.

The pair will square off for Wardley’s WBO world title at Manchester’s Co-op Live, headlining a Queensberry Promotions card that promises to deliver fireworks.

This is because both heavyweights possess fan-friendly styles and carry enormous power, with each of them boasting a 95% knockout-to-win ratio.

Several of these stoppages have arrived against top-class opposition, too, with Wardley coming off an 11th-round finish over Joseph Parker last October.

The 31-year-old was then elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBO champion after Oleksandr Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, vacated his belt in November.

Dubois, meanwhile, has not fought since his fifth-round stoppage defeat to Usyk last July, when he was relieved of his IBF title in emphatic fashion.

Before that, though, ‘Dynamite’ had scored consecutive stoppage victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, with the latter performance seeing him defend his world title.

But while Dubois, according to Atlas, represents a more complete package, the Hall of Fame trainer has nonetheless told BetVictor that he favours the mental resolve of Wardley.

“Wardley’s on a magic carpet ride; there’s something special going on with him.

“He’s physically strong; he’s a good puncher; he’s got a great chin; he’s got a great heart; he’s got a great engine. But if you really know what you’re looking at in the sport… there’s still progress to be made, learning to be done, and he’s doing it.

“Dubois is more complete. Dubois has an amateur background. He is a good puncher; he is athletic; he is skilled; he is very thick-boned; he’s very strong. But there’s something about the magic of Wardley I’m not going against.

“The area that I’ll finish this with is the most important area to me: the area of mental strength. I think he surpasses Dubois in that area. And because of that, I’ll take Wardley.”

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Many have accused Dubois of lacking such fortitude in past performances, especially in his 10th-round stoppage defeat to Joe Joyce and first encounter with Usyk, which came in 2020 and 2023 respectively.

Wardley, on the other hand, remains unbeaten and has shown tremendous character to overcome hard-fought battles with the likes of Parker and Justis Huni.

Moses Itauma has admitted there is one fellow heavyweight star he would prefer not to cross paths with.

Unbeaten prospect Itauma returns to action later this month when he takes on Jermaine Franklin at Co-Op Live in Manchester.

Itauma has won all 13 of his fights to date, 11 of them coming by knockout, and the 21-year-old has been tipped by many to reach the top of the sport.

It seems Itauma hopes to achieve that goal without having to face one man in particular though, after he was asked on The Ariel Helwani Show about taking on the winner of the upcoming fight between his stablemate Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois.

“If I win will I fight the winner? If Frank Warren allows it as we’re all Queensberry boys. He has to open the gate for us to be able to. If Fabio wins, we’re at the same gym so it might be a bit awkward. If Dubois wins it will probably be more likely to happen.”

Itauma then explained why doesn’t see Wardley as a potential opponent.

“One of us would have to leave the gym. It’s never been a conversation [about fighting each other]. I’ve got Jermaine Franklin, he’s got Daniel Dubois, I’ve never really thought of Wardley as my opponent.

“When he knocked out Justis Huni everybody saw how excited and how happy I was for him. I’ve never really seen him as an opponent. We’ve never sparred. Ben [Davison] likes to keep the gym as a team environment.”

For now, Itauma remains fully focused on his clash against Franklin on March 28, while Wardley prepares to defend his WBO heavyweight title against Dubois on May 9.

No. 5 Vanderbilt was a mere inch away from maybe the most historic shot in program history until the ball did everything but drop.

Tyler Tanner’s beyond-half-court heave to send the Commodores to the Sweet 16 went in-and-out to give No. 4 Nebraska a 74-72 win and advance to the Sweet 16.

Nebraska entered the half with a 39-32 lead and led by as many as 10 at one point, but Vanderbilt rallied back to lead by five with 5:34 to go.

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Tyler Tanner of the Vanderbilt Commodores shoots the ball against Sam Hoiberg of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the final seconds of the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 21, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The Cornhuskers then answered back with a 6-0 run to retake the lead, but Vanderbilt led 72-70 with less than a minute to go after a Tanner layup, which gave him 27 points on the night.

Those, however, were Tanner’s and Vanderbilt’s final points of the game. Rienk Mast tied the game with a putback with 37 seconds left, and Vanderbilt’s Chandler Bing missed a shot to take a late lead.

Nebraska then ran down the court, and Pryce Sandfort found Braden Frager, who made a contested layup to take the lead with 2.2 seconds left.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) celebrates with fans after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores in a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center.  (Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images)

VILLANOVA COACH TURNS HEADS AFTER ‘JOKE’ THAT HE WOULD ‘FIRE MY STAFF’ DURING MARCH MADNESS LOSS

Vanderbilt called a timeout, and the inbound went to the red-hot Tanner, who clearly had the groove of his shot. He pulled up from half-court, but the shot was a striking image of Gordon Hayward’s from the 2010 national title game against Duke – off the backboard, then the rim, then out.

Quite literally everybody, even the heavy-Nebraska crowd in Oklahoma City, was in disbelief, but the party was on for the red after shock and relief quickly turned into celebration.

It’s Nebraska’s first time ever making the Sweet 16 after eight prior appearances without getting there. In fact, this year is the first time they even won a game in the tournament.

Braden Frager of the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrates after the victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 21, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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Four Cornhuskers finished in double-digits, with Sandfort and Frager each putting up 15. Nebraska will face the winner of No. 1 Florida and No. 9 Iowa.

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Prince Naseem Hamed was adored for his unique fight style, obscene punch power and polarising character. Now, fan-favourite Roy Jones Jr has admitted that one current world champion reminds him of the Wincobank-schooled superstar.

Hamed captured the WBO featherweight world title with a stoppage of Steve Robinson on away soil in Cardiff and hung onto the title for almost six years, unifying with the IBF and WBC belts during that time.

During his career, the Sheffield-born slickster knocked out the likes of Kevin Kelley, Wilfredo Vazquez and Tom Johnson whilst becoming one of the first Briton’s to truly succeed as a star across the pond, often headlining cards stateside.

In 2002, Hamed hung up the gloves with a record of 36-1, calling time on a career that saw him shine a light on the 126lb division and become one of the most memorable featherweights of all time.

Although, it is the welterweight division where Jones believes there is a comparable fighter. In an interview with Fight Hub TV, he explained why he believes WBA champion Rolando Romero is a ‘watered down’ version of Hamed, when discussing Romero’s chances in a potential unification clash with WBO ruler Devin Haney.

“If he [Rolly] can catch Devin early or hurt Devin, it can become a 50/50 fight. I told people the same thing when he fought Ryan, I told guys that you got to look at it like this, Rolly is a lot lesser version, a knock-off version, of Prince Naseem Hamed.

“If he hits you, you’ll know that you have been hit because he has got unusual punching power. It’s a watered down version [of Hamed] but it isn’t as watered down as y’all think it is.”

It is understood that Haney and Romero will collide on Saturday, May 30, with the victor likely to pursue a three-belt unification bout against fellow 147lb champion Ryan Garcia.

No. 1 seeds Duke and Michigan each faced legitimate challenges from No. 9 seeds on Saturday before pulling away and advancing to the Sweet 16. The final score of the Blue Devils’ 81-58 win over TCU hides the truth that it was a dogfight for 30 minutes.

When Duke needed it most, it got a heroic effort from star freshman Cam Boozer. The All-American forward exploded in the second half after going MIA during the first. His 19 points and 11 rebounds, along with the return of center Patrick Ngongba from injury, helped the Blue Devils wear down a gritty Horned Frogs team that briefly took a lead early in the second half.

Saint Louis tested Michigan in a different way before the Wolverines cruised to a 95-72 victory. The Billikens’ well-oiled attack knocked the No. 1 seed Wolverines on their heels early. But the Atlantic 10 champions ultimately had no answer for Michigan stars Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara.

A total of eight Sweet 16 bids flew off the shelf on Saturday as the first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament rolled on. Here are the winners and losers from the action.

Winner: Michigan activates “machine” mode

Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and Michigan coach Dusty May are close friends who share basketball insights and swap ideas. But Michigan at its best is an inevitable force that cannot be contained — even by an opponent who knows exactly what’s coming. 

The No. 1 seed Wolverines’ 95-72 win over No. 9 seed Billikens brought the latest demonstration of Michigan’s unmatchable top gear, as SLU offered a valiant but ultimately hopeless effort. The two-way attack led by bigs Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara simply overwhelmed a skilled but undersized group of Billikens. When your 7-foot-3 center is rifling cross-court passes like this to a 6-foot-9 potential lottery pick for open 3s, things are definitely going well. – David Cobb

Winner: Saint Louis runs into a buzzsaw but appears primed for consistent relevance

The best season in Saint Louis history is over after catching Michigan on a day when everything was rolling. 

No one is beating Michigan when it plays as well as it did on Saturday, and SLU certainly found that out the hard way. But with sharp coach Josh Schertz signed to come back, there’s tons of hope that this is far from just a blip on the radar. 

The Robbie Avila Era is over, so SLU will need to remake its frontcourt, but five rotation players can return and a legitimate proof of concept has been established. This may be just the beginning. – Isaac Trotter

Winner: Duke emerges from the slumber with knockout second-half punch

What a response. Duke was wobbly early in the second half as TCU clawed back to take a two-point advantage, but the Blue Devils were not going to be denied. 

Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Duke to the Sweet 16 with an 81-58 victory over the ninth-seeded Horned Frogs. Freshman wing Dame Sarr deposited four key 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Isaiah Evans (17 points) did his thing as well.

Maybe most importantly, Duke is starting to get healthy. Big man Patrick Ngongba played 12 minutes and scored four points in his return from a foot injury. Kansas or St. John’s awaits in what should be a doozy. — Trotter

Loser: Iron unkind to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt and Nebraska played the game of the tournament so far, and it all came down to a half-court heave from Commodores star Tyler Tanner. The high-arcing attempt hit the backboard, rattled around the rim and then bounced out, preserving a 74-72 victory for the No. 4 seed Cornhuskers. It was a brutal ending to a memorable performance from Tanner. The undersized sophomore led all scorers with 27 points as the No. 5 seed Commodores hung tough inside a road-type environment.

Oklahoma’s City Paycom Center was filled with Nebraska fans thrilled to see the Cornhuskers advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history just two days after the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Braden Fraser scored the go-ahead bucket with 2.2 seconds remaining, which left just enough time for Tanner to catch, dribble once then let it fly. It came oh so close to a moment for the history books. Instead, it produced a brutal agony for the Commodores that only March Madness can bring. – Cobb

Winner: Arkansas avoids the trap

No. 12 seed High Point faltered in its quest to pull off another major upset, as the Panthers fell 94-88 to No. 4 seed Arkansas in the second round. But the Panthers played with gusto and pushed the Razorbacks until the very end behind a 30-point showing from Rob Martin. Cam’Ron Fletcher, who once played for Arkansas coach John Calipari at Kentucky, added 25 for the Panthers, who upset Wisconsin in Thursday’s first round.

The Razorbacks never led by double digits and needed a combined 55 points from freshman guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas in order to survive. — Cobb

Loser: Texas A&M gets a painful wake-up call

No. 10 seed Texas A&M enjoyed a successful first season under coach Bucky McMillian, but it ended with a rude awakening. No. 2 seed Houston, which has now been to seven straight Sweet 16s, made quick work of the upstart Aggies in an 88-57 win. 

The outcome demonstrated the gulf between programs that share a state, but are in vastly different stages of their life cycles. A sure-handed group of Houston guards never caved under A&M’s pressure, and the Cougars dominated on the glass with a 19-9 edge in offensive rebounds. After beginning the second half on an 8-0 run, Houston led by at least 20 the rest of the way. The Aggies are on the way up under McMillan, but they saw on Saturday just how high the mountain is to climb if they want to be among the best. – Cobb

Winner: Texas joins exclusive company

There will be at least one double-digit seed in the Sweet 16. Texas made sure of that by knocking off No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68, reaching the tournament’s second weekend for the first time since 2023.

The Longhorns become the sixth team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16, joining VCU, UCLA, Syracuse, La Salle and Tennessee. Both VCU and UCLA went on to reach the Final Four before falling in the national semifinals.

Texas is far more dangerous than its seed suggests, with high-end talent and an experienced coach. Sean Miller will be making his ninth Sweet 16 appearance and is the 10th coach to take three different programs to the tournament’s second weekend.

— Cameron Salerno

Loser: VCU’s bid for another comeback flails

Even as Illinois turned a seven-point halftime edge into an increasingly significant lead, hope still persisted that perhaps No. 11 seed VCU could pull another stunner. 

But just two days after executing the largest comeback in Round of 64 history against North Carolina, the Rams ran out of magic in a 76-55 loss to the No. 3 seed Illini.

Illinois is at its best when balance is king. Saturday’s Round of 32 showed more maturity in that department. Andrej Stojakovic dominated the first half with 16 of his 21 points, and Keaton Wagler took over in the second half with 13 points to send the Illini to the Sweet 16 with a 76-55 win over No. 11 seed VCU. Four different players cracked double figures. That’s exactly what Underwood was envisioning. — Trotter and Cobb

Winner: Jeremy Fears Jr. makes history

Jeremy Fears Jr. set a school record for most assists in an NCAA Tournament game as he dished out 16 dimes while directing No. 3 seed Michigan State to a 77-69 win over No. 6 seed Louisville. 

Fears is up to 27 assists through two games in this Big Dance, which is the most for any player through two games since UCLA’s Earl Watson amassed 28 in 2000. 

One of Fears’ favorite targets was high-flying forward Coen Carr, who finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Carr added 10 rebounds and two blocks as the Spartans flew into a Sweet 16 matchup with the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA. — Cobb

Loser: Louisville falls short of preseason expectations

Winning a first-round game against No. 11 seed South Florida is a fine achievement, but this is a Louisville program with high expectations. The Cardinals won 27 games last season with a less talented roster. Simply put, another early exit from the Big Dance is disappointing.

Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament, which certainly didn’t help. The projected top-10 pick showed flashes this season of why he was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, but he only managed to play in 21 games. 

This will be a critical offseason for Louisville. The Cardinals currently have zero players signed from the 2026 recruiting cycle. Louisville will likely use the transfer portal again to build out its roster. The teams at the top of the sport — namely Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida — have gone all-in on building massive frontlines and using two-way rim dominance to separate from the rest of the pack.

Louisville zigged while they zagged, choosing to invest heavily into building maybe the most dangerous backcourt in all of college basketball … on paper. All four of Louisville’s biggest free agent additions were guards: Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley.

Even when Brown was healthy, Louisville didn’t the smashmouth basketball ability that might be necessary in the supersized era of college basketball.

Change feels vital to reach that top level. – Salerno and Trotter