UEFA’s sizable representation at the 2026 World Cup means they’ll stage their own playoffs, as they did in 2022, while those who scraped out of their respective qualifying processes around the rest of the world will be involved in FIFA’s inter-confederation playoffs.

The draw for UEFA's World Cup qualification playoffs is set for Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 a.m. ET. UEFA's World Cup qualifying playoffs will be contested on March 26 (semifinals) and March 31 (finals). Twelve European countries have already clinched a spot in the 2026 World Cup:

Curaçao is within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The official languages are Dutch, Papiamento and English. FIFA's men's international ranking has Curaçao as the No. 82-best national team.

The World Cup returns to the United States for the first time since 1994. The USMNT, Canadian and Mexican national teams were all invited to the tournament as host nations. The three co-host nations will be joined by 45 other qualifying countries making up a 48-team field for the first time in the competition’s history.

A spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is on the line on the final day of UEFA qualification, as Austria gets set to host Bosnia and Herzegovina in a potentially winner-take-all clash on Tuesday.

The city of Dallas opened its 2026 FIFA World Cup volunteer center at Fair Park on Tuesday, paving the way for recruiting thousands of people who will

There are novices galore in Pot 4, with Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cabo Verde among the nations making their first-ever World Cup appearance in 2026. Steve McLaren’s Jamaica could returned to the international stage for the first time since 1998 once Concacaf qualifying concludes.

The latest phase of FIFA's ticket lottery process for the 2026 World Cup didn't go as smoothly as some soccer fans hoped.