There are six spots left. Six teams can still qualify for the first World Cup featuring 48 nations in history. From June 11 to July 19, in Mexico, the United States, and Canada, nations from all continents will try to lift the Jules Rimet trophy. While the powerhouse nations of world football (France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina…) secured their spots several months ago, there are still a few places left. The draw for the 2026 World Cup, which took place in early December, once most of the qualifiers are known, several teams are waiting to find out the identity of their final opponent they will face in the group stage.
One such team is France: Didier Deschamps’ Blues were placed in Group I, along with Senegal and Norway. Three teams were vying to join this group through an intercontinental playoff: Suriname, Bolivia, and Iraq. After Bolivia’s 2-1 victory over Suriname on Thursday night, the South Americans will face Iraq on Tuesday night into Wednesday (5 am Paris time).
Another intercontinental playoff will determine the final qualified team in Group K, which includes Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan. After defeating New Caledonia in the playoff semi-final (1-0), Jamaica will face DR Congo on Tuesday night (11 pm) to secure this precious spot.
Heavy Pressure on Italy
In Europe, four spots are still up for grabs, as UEFA will be sending 16 teams to the World Cup for the first time, accounting for one-third of the participants. After last Thursday’s playoff semi-finals, the finals will all be played simultaneously on Tuesday night. Four years later, Sweden and Poland meet again to fight for qualification. If Poland (eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 16 by the Blues) emerged victorious four years ago at home, the Swedes can now seek revenge on their own turf.
The most anticipated final pits Bosnia-Herzegovina against Italy. Four-time winners of the World Cup (1930, 1934, 1982, and 2006), the Italians missed out on the last two editions and know they are eagerly awaited by the entire nation. Eliminated by Sweden in a two-legged tie before the 2018 World Cup, they saw their hopes dashed in 2022, as they were defeated at home in the playoff semi-final by North Macedonia (1-0).
The third match will see Kosovo face Turkey, a semi-finalist in 2002, while the Czech Republic and Denmark (who were in France’s group in 2022) will compete for the fourth and final spot up for grabs in Europe. Therefore, on Wednesday morning, two and a half months before the global event, all the qualified teams will be known.
