World Cup 2026 Play-Offs: Italy, Wales, Poland and more fight for final spots | OneFootball

The last six places for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be up for grabs this month.

Four European teams can secure a spot through the play-offs, which consist of single-leg semi-finals followed by a one-off final, with all eight last-four ties scheduled for Thursday, March 26.

Let’s look at each match-up.

Italy vs Northern Ireland

After missing out on the last two tournaments, Italy are desperate to banish the ghosts of their most recent qualifying play-offs.

The four-time world champions were beaten by Sweden and North Macedonia in their last two attempts to navigate the play-offs, so manager Gennaro Gattuso is under immense pressure to get it right this time around.

During his recent interview with ESPN, Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori said that ‘Gattuso calls me more than my mother’, perhaps best illustrating their ambition to reach the World Cup.

Enjoying the home comforts of Atalanta’s New Balance Arena, Gli Azzurri take on Northern Ireland, whose last appearance at the prestigious international tournament came in 1986.

However, the visitors can perhaps take heart from the fact that co-hosts Mexico staged that edition, as they must defy the odds to halt their eight-game unbeaten streak against the Italians.

Turkey vs Romania

Despite featuring in the last three European Championships, the Turks are still waiting for their return to the grandest international scene, having last competed at a World Cup in 2002.

Buoyed by back-to-back multi-goal margin wins on home soil, head coach Vincenzo Montella should be confident about ending the Crescent-Stars’ drought, but he would be wise not to underestimate Romania.

It has been almost nine years since these two nations last faced each other, with the Romanians emerging 2-0 victors in an international friendly in November 2017, maintaining a potentially ominous trend in this fixture.

Turkey and Romania have alternated between wins and losses in their last five meetings, which bodes well for the hosts, who also bring a promising four-game unbeaten run into this showdown.

Czechia vs Republic of Ireland

With both Czechia and the Republic of Ireland waiting for their first World Cup appearance in almost 20 years, the stakes can hardly be any higher ahead of this ‘make or break’ clash at Fortuna Arena.

As the second-highest-ranked FIFA nation in their pathway, the Czechs come into proceedings with lofty expectations, aiming to set up a potential final against Denmark or North Macedonia.

However, Ireland will be desperate to spoil their hosts’ ambitions in Prague, as they bid to return to the tournament for the first time since 2002 on the back of a remarkable comeback in their final group stage outing.

Troy Parrott’s 96th-minute winner inspired Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Hungary. They now meet familiar foes, whom they’ve kept winless in four of their last five encounters.

Denmark vs North Macedonia

It’s unfathomable how Denmark ended in the play-offs, but they cannot afford to dwell on the past if they’re to secure a third successive World Cup appearance.

The Danes might feel uncomfortable in this uncharted territory, having never previously had to come through the play-offs to secure their place at the World Cup, although the odds are firmly on their side.

Unlike their opposition, North Macedonia were in a similar situation in 2022. Despite beating Italy in the semi-finals, they’re still waiting for their maiden World Cup appearance.

North Macedonia must overcome an underdog status in this game, and knowing they thrashed Denmark 3-0 in their only previous meeting in the 21st century may come in handy.

Slovakia vs Kosovo

North Macedonia’s neighbours, Kosovo, are also vying for their first-ever World Cup qualification as an independent nation, as they travel to Bratislava to take on more heavily fancied Slovakia.

Although they’ve never met Kosovo before, the Slovaks can draw confidence from their impressive first-round campaign, where they posted a 67 percent win rate – their best return in a single qualification cycle since 2010.

All eyes will be on free-scoring Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi, who could be the visitors’ best chance of causing an upset and keeping their qualification dream alive in this historic tie.

Ukraine vs Sweden

Fresh off reconciling with his ex-girlfriend Wag Ines Aguiar (via the Sun), Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres is looking to take his significant other to North America in the summer, as Sweden embark on their play-off mission in Valencia.

Standing in their way is Ukraine, a war-torn nation determined to return to the World Cup after a long 20-year absence under the guidance of former midfielder Serhiy Rebrov.

It’s perhaps surprising that the Swedes are the favourites to progress from this tie, considering they failed to win a single qualifying match for the first time in their history and are here only by virtue of their Nations League exploits.

Poland vs Albania

Despite suffering just one defeat in the group stage, Poland must try to lock down their third World Cup qualification on the trot in a potentially tricky semi-final clash against Albania.

However, this is an opposition they’re very familiar with, having faced them seven times on home turf without ever losing, suggesting they can approach the clash with a measure of comfort.

With Robert Lewandowski gunning for his last World Cup campaign, visiting fans might be wise not to get their hopes up too high, even though they’ve lost just once in their last nine games.

Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina

Eager to mirror their 2022 success and earn a World Cup berth through the play-offs, Wales entertain Bosnia & Herzegovina at Cardiff City Stadium, seeking their first win against this country.

The Bosnians have gone unbeaten in all four previous clashes against the Dragons, which should bolster their dream of taking a step closer to securing World Cup qualification for the first time since 2014.

Wales’ impressive run featuring just two defeats inside 90 minutes across their last 14 home matches may dash Bosnia’s hopes, as they look to end a five-game losing streak in play-off fixtures for major tournaments.

How to watch the World Cup qualifiers

Amazon Prime will show the bulk of the World Cup qualifying fixtures, with the BBC showing the Italy and Wales games. You can explore legal streaming options here.