The World Cup line-up is almost complete as 42 nations have booked their place in this summer’s tournament.
But for 22 other countries, their nerves over claiming a spot in North America will ramp up this week as they compete for the last six places.
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The Republic of Ireland dramatically kept their hopes of qualification alive thanks to a last-gasp Troy Parrott goal against Hungary in November.
Tears were shed as a play-off place was secured, but focus will now turn to claiming a spot in the biggest tournament on the planet.
Italy and Sweden are among the strong sides that are featuring in the European section, with Wales and Northern Ireland joining them.
And in the inter-confederation play-offs, the likes of Jamaica, DR Congo and Iraq will strive to make the big dance this summer.
Here’s all you need to know about the World Cup play-offs…
When are World Cup play-offs played?
The World Cup 2026 play-offs will begin this week, on Thursday, March 26.
It will start with the semi-finals on that date, before the finals are scheduled for five days later on Tuesday, March 31.
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World Cup play-offs fixtures
All kick-off times UK
Europe
Path A
Final – Cardiff or Zenica, Tuesday, March 31, 19:45
Path B
- Ukraine vs Sweden, Valencia – Thursday, March 26, 19:45
- Poland vs Albania, Warsaw – Thursday, March 26, 19:45
Final – Valencia or Solna, Tuesday, March 31, 19:45
Path C
- Turkey vs Romania, Istanbul – Thursday, March 26, 17:00
- Slovakia vs Kosovo, Bratislava – Thursday, March 26, 19:45
Final – Bratislava or Pristina, Tuesday, March 31, 19:45
Path D
Final – Prague or Dublin, Tuesday, March 31, 19:45
Inter-confederation
Pathway 1
- Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica (Estadio Akron, Mexico) – Friday, March 27, 03:00
- Final: New Caledonia / Jamaica vs DR Congo (Estadio Akron, Mexico) – Tuesday, March 31, 22:00
Pathway 2
- Semi-final: Bolivia vs Suriname (Estadio BBVA, Mexico) – Thursday, March 26, 22:00
- Final: Bolivia / Suriname vs Iraq (Estadio BBVA, Mexico) – Wednesday, April 1, 04:00
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World Cup play-offs: What’s been said?
Ali McCann knows from first-hand experience there is no reason to believe Northern Ireland cannot be a match for Italy in their play-off clash.
The 26-year-old is one of four players in the current squad who featured when the Italians visited Belfast in November 2021 at the tail-end of the last World Cup qualifying campaign.
A 0-0 draw at Windsor Park left Italy second in Group C – and they subsequently lost to North Macedonia in the play-offs to miss out on a second consecutive World Cup finals.
“We actually should have won that game at the end,” said McCann.
“We could have nicked it at the end, but we played really well that night.
“I think if you go off that, then there’s no reason why we can’t do something similar. We frustrated them a lot that night and could have come away with more at the end. But that was class.
“We’re in these games for a reason, and there’s no reason why we can’t go and get something from it.
“I think if you look at the campaign as a whole, it was a positive one. The Slovakia game at home, we were brilliant. The two games against Germany, we played really well against a top quality side. We just weren’t clinical enough in those moments.
“If you look through the games you can pick out loads of positives and then hopefully we can apply that on Thursday to get something from the game.”
