The Democratic Republic of Congo will face either New Caledonia or Jamaica to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after dramatically securing their playoff spot by defeating Nigeria 4–3 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw after extra time.
The draw for the Inter-confederation playoffs, and that of the European which will determine the last six slots for the 2026 World cup, was held on Thursday in Zurich.
the Inter-confederation playoff tournament, featuring teams from CAF, AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the OFC, will take place in Guadalajara and Monterrey in March, 2026.
Seeded teams DR Congo and Iraq have been placed directly into the final phase of the competition.
DR Congo, who eliminated Nigeria from the race to the 2026 tournament, are chasing their second World cup appearance since their debut in 1974, when they participated as Zaire.
Iraq—seeking their first World cup appearance since 198, will face either Bolivia or Suriname in the other playoff pathway, having qualified with a dramatic 3–2 aggregate win over the UAE, sealed by a stoppage-time penalty.
Meanwhile, Jamaica failed to qualify directly after drawing with Curaçao, leading to the resignation of head coach, Steve McClaren.
Bolivia also booked their playoff spot after a 1–0 win over Brazil in the final round of South American qualifying.
A separate draw has set the stage for Europe’s 16-team playoff battle for the final four World cup slots.
the 16 teams were split into 4 paths, with the winner of each path advancing to the World cup finals.
In path A, 4-time winners, Italy face Northern Ireland, while Wales take on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
in path B, Sweden meet Ukraine, with the winner to face either Poland or Albania.
in path C, Turkey will play ryomania, with the winner meeting either Slovakia or Kosovo.
For the final European slot, Denmark is to face North Macedonia, while Czechia and the Republic of Ireland battle for a single ticket.
Editor: Ken Eseni
