UEFA Playoffs Preview: Path B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania) | OneFootball

The UEFA Playoffs are set to decide the final teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the qualifying phase enters its final stretch. With 42 of the 48 places already decided, only six spots remain, four of which will be claimed through the UEFA Playoffs system.

The complex European qualifying system gives many teams a second chance. Because of that, now Sweden, Ukraine, Poland and Albania find themselves just two games away from the World Cup.

UEFA Playoffs Explained

The UEFA Playoffs take place over two rounds. UEFA allocates 12 direct qualification spots through the group stage (First Round), while the remaining places are decided through playoffs (Second Round). In the second round, the remaining Sixteen teams are split into four “paths”, each path offering a single World Cup ticket.

The four Paths that lead to the FIFA World Cup

Each team must win two single-leg matches across a five-day window.

Path B is one of four such brackets. It brings together Sweden, Ukraine, Poland and Albania, all of whom failed to qualify automatically in the first round. Ukraine, Poland and Albania all finished second in their respective groups, while Sweden qualified via the Nations League pathway (being one of the top four Nations League group winners who didn’t qualify automatically).

Now, in a straight knockout format, Ukraine face Sweden and Albania face Poland. The winners will meet in the Path B final for a place at the World Cup.

UEFA Playoffs Preview: Ukraine vs Sweden

Path BSemi Final 3March 26, 2026, Valencia

Ukraine and Sweden will kick things off for the Path B route to the World Cup. Ukraine finished second in Group D of the first round, behind France who secured automatic qualification. In a group also consisting of Iceland and Azerbaijan, Ukraine got 10 points from 6 games with 3 wins and 2 defeats.

Credits: UEFA.com

Sweden were in Group B in the first round alongside Kosovo, Slovenia and Switzerland. They disappointingly finished last without a win in the group, but they were one of the highest four teams in the Nations League group winners. That’s why they secured a spot in the next round.

There is no overwhelming favorite in this fixture, but if looked at solely from the first round perspective, Ukraine are much more dominant. Sweden under Graham Potter have yet to win a game, with a 4-1 loss to Switzerland and a 1-1 draw to Slovenia putting them in this position. They are without a win in their last 6 games, in which they have conceded 12 and scored only 4. They are also a team that has not scored first in any of their last 5 games, always coming back from behind to try and get a result. The Blågult missed out on qualifying for both Euro 2024 and the 2022 World Cup last time around. They will be disappointed to miss out for the third major tournament in a row even with a second chance because of the UEFA Playoffs.

Ukraine, despite on paper not boasting the greatest of teams, come into this match as slight favorites. Ranked 30 in the world, they sit 12 positions ahead of Sweden who will start this fixture at 42. Ukraine have 4 wins in their last 7 fixtures, and only France twice have beaten Ukraine in that period. They have scored 12 goals and conceded 11, indicating they score as much as they concede. Ukraine have not had a clean sheet in their last 13 games. They have also not had home advantage throughout their qualifying campaign. This is due to the geopolitical situation involving Russia, which is why this “home” game will be played in Valencia, Spain. The Blue and Yellow have not been at the World Cup since 2006, when they heroically reached the quarterfinals.

Team News, Head to Head and Prediction:

Sweden will not have the likes of Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski due to long term injuries. Oleksandr Zinchenko for Ukraine will also not feature in the UEFA Playoffs this time.

In head to head, both teams have faced each other 6 times. Ukraine have beaten Sweden in 5 of those encounters, with Sweden winning one in 2011.

Sweden, a team in transition under Graham Potter, might just pull a surprise. As a football romantic, the idea of a team that has not won in 6 games beating a team that only lost twice to the World Cup favorites is tempting. However, this team is still too raw and with so many stars missing, they might fall short.

[My Prediction: Ukraine 2 – 1 Sweden]

UEFA Playoffs Preview: Poland vs Albania

Path BSemi Final 426 March 2026, Warsaw

An aging Polish side’s last attempt at a World Cup spot against an energetic Albania.

Poland had a strong qualifying campaign in the first round, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification by 3 points. They finished second in Group G with 17 points while Netherlands, who they drew both games with, qualified with 20 points. Poland will be ruing their shock 2-1 defeat against Finland, which was their only loss and prevented them from qualifying automatically. They shouldn’t even be in the second round of the UEFA Playoffs with the way they played.

Credits: UEFA.com

Albania finished ahead of Serbia, Latvia and Andorra on 14 points in Group K but behind an England side that won all 8 games. Sitting just 1 point behind third placed Serbia, Albania’s only losses in that round came against England.

Credits: UEFA.com

Poland are definitely favorites. They are unbeaten in their last 6 games, scoring 11 goals. Not the best at keeping clean sheets, Poland have conceded at least one goal in 5 of their last 7 matches. The team will likely set up in a 4-2-3-1, with most of the play directed toward Robert Lewandowski. They will be playing at home, where they have won 3 of their last 4 games and remain unbeaten.

Albania beat Serbia, Latvia, Jordan, Gibraltar and Andorra in their run to second place. However, they have scored exactly one goal in each of their last 4 away matches. They are a defensive 4-3-3 side, scoring only 7 goals in 8 qualifying games. Three came against Andorra in one match. They have never played in a World Cup before and just two wins separate them from history.

Team News, Head to Head and Prediction:

Medon Berisha and Mirlind Daku are out for Albania. Poland will miss Łukasz Skorupski and Przemysław Frankowski for the UEFA Playoffs.

In head to head, the teams have faced each other a total of 12 times since 1970. The only time Albania beat Poland was in their most recent encounter in 2023. Before that, Poland had won 8 games in a row and were 11 games unbeaten against Albania. Overall, Poland has 9 wins compared to Albania’s one.

[My Prediction: Poland 3 – 0 Albania]

Poland will very clearly remember their 2023 shock defeat to Albania and will do all necessary preparations to not repeat that result. The quality of the Polish attack, despite an unpolished Robert Lewandowski this season, should see off the Albanians out easily.

More World Cup Coverage

Here’s where you can read about the other UEFA Playoffs paths:

And for general World Cup news, check out: [Hooligan Soccer – World Cup News]

Hooligan Soccer Podcast on UEFA Playoffs