There is still plenty on the line for the home nations (Picture: Getty)
The final six places at the 2026 World Cup are up for grabs this week, as two play-off tournaments complete the lineup for this summer’s tournament.
Four of the spots will go to European nations, with Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland all in the hunt.
Craig Bellamy’s side are looking to qualify for successive World Cups for th first time ever having appeared at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
And elsewhere, Four-time champions Italy will look to avoid the embarrassing feat of missing out on a World Cup for a third consecutive time.
Meanwhile, two places will be reserved for the winners of a new intercontinental tournament hosted in Mexico.
New Caledonia and Suriname could reach the tournament for the first time from the intercontinental tournament, while Kosovo and Albania are also vying to qualify for the first time through the European play-offs.
Here’s how it all works.
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How does the European play-offs work?
Ireland scored a last-minute winner over Hungary to reach the play-offs (Picture: Getty)
The European play-offs consist of four ‘paths’, with each rewarding one side with a spot at next summer’s World Cup.
The 16 teams – 12 runners-up from qualifying and four based on UEFA Nations League performances – will play eight one-off semi-finals and then a winner-takes-all final.
The highest-ranked teams host the semi-finals, while the final hosts were determined by a draw. The semi-finals take place on Thursday, 26 March and the finals on Tuesday, 31 March.
European play-offs
Path A
Semi-final: Italy v Northern IrelandSemi-final: Wales v Bosnia-HerzegovinaFinal: Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina v Italy/Northern Ireland
Path B
Semi-final: Ukraine v SwedenSemi-final: Poland v AlbaniaFinal: Ukraine/Sweden v Poland/Albania
Wales are looking to reach back-to-back World Cups (Picture: Getty)
Path C
Semi-final: Turkey v RomaniaSemi-final: Slovakia v KosovoFinal: Turkey/Romania v Slovakia/Kosovo
Path D
Semi-final: Denmark v North MacedoniaSemi-final: Czechia v Republic of IrelandFinal: Denmark/North Macedonia v Czechia/Republic of Ireland
Wales host Bosnia-Herzegovina in their semi-final, but face a potentially tricky encounter with Italy if Gennaro Gattuso’s side can get past Northern Ireland at home.
The Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, face a trip to the Czech Republic for their semi-final, and could face either Denmark or North Macedonia in the final in Dublin.
The four European play-off winners will enter World Cup groups A, B, D, and F.
How about the Intercontinental play-offs?
Jamaica missed out on an automatic spot at the World Cup at the expense of Curacao (Picture: Getty)
The final two places in North America this summer will be decided by the intercontinental play-offs, held in Mexico and featuring countries from all over the world.
The lineup features two teams from CONCACAF (Jamaica, Suriname), and one each from Asia (Iraq), Africa (DR Congo), South America (Bolivia), and Oceania (New Caledonia).
These play-offs feature two ‘paths’, with the four lowest-ranked nations taking part in the semi-finals before facing the two highest-ranked teams (DR Congo and Iraq) in a final.
Intercontinental play-offs
Path A
Semi-final: New Caledonia v JamaicaFinal: New Caledonia/Jamaica v DR Congo
Path B
Semi-final: Bolivia v SurinameFinal: Bolivia/Suriname v Iraq
The semi-finals take place on Thursday, 26 March and the finals on Tuesday, 31 March, with the play-off winners added into groups I and K.
How to watch on TV and live stream
Viewers in the United Kingdom looking to watch the home nations can tune in on the BBC or online via BBC iPlayer.
BBC Two and iPlayer will broadcast the Wales match, while BBC Three and iPlayer will show Northern Ireland’s encounter.
Ireland’s clash with Czechia will be shown on Prime Video’s pay-per-view service, with pricing starting at £2.49 per game.
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