The Six Favorites to Win the 2026 World Cup Playoffs

The March international break will undoubtedly be less decisive and stressful for some, with 42 nations already confirming their places at the 2026 World Cup.

However, there are six spots yet to be filled, and 22 national teams still have hope. Over the next week, the victors of four UEFA pathways and two inter-confederation playoffs will join those who qualified automatically.

While some are merely thrilled to reach this point, others are in for an unbearably tense final slog to North America. The prospect of not being involved at this summer’s spectacle is one they won’t even want to consider.

Here’s an overview of the six favorites to make it to this summer’s tournament.

UEFA Playoffs

Italy

Francesco Pio Esposito, Leonardo Spinazzolo — Italy haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 2014. | Giacomo Cosua/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Italian national team remains in a state of existential angst, but the idea of the four-time world champions failing to qualify for the World Cup is far from unfathomable. The Azzurri have missed out on the previous two tournaments, disasters that rocked a proud soccer nation.

The latest iteration is bereft of stars, and Norway was simply far too good in qualifying, but Italy remains the favorite to qualify from Pathway A.

Northern Ireland visit Bergamo for the semifinal, a fixture that bears an uncanny resemblance to their stunning defeat to North Macedonia four years ago. If they make it through unscathed, the prospect of facing Wales in Cardiff is a daunting one.

You’d struggle to find a confident Italian entering the playoffs, with scars from recent failings running deep.

UEFA Path A

Date	Fixture	Location	Playoff Round
March 26	Italy vs. Northern Ireland	Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, Bergamo	Semifinal 1
March 26	Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff	Semifinal 2
March 31	Winner SF 2 vs. Winner SF 1	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff or Stadion Bilino Polje, Zenica	Final

Sweden

Sweden embarked on an utterly miserable qualifying campaign, picking up two points from six games and finishing bottom of Group B. It has the UEFA Nations League to thank for its spot in the playoffs.

The Swedish FA were desperate enough to turn to Graham Potter in October 2025 after the Englishman was ditched by West Ham United at the start of the domestic season. Potter is yet to have a discernible impact on a talented but seemingly incohesive national team that’s struggled without Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Dejan Kulusevski.

Kulusevski is not returning from a career-altering patella injury anytime soon, and Alexander Isak is also out this month. Thus, it’s going to take a stellar coaching effort from Potter to get Sweden to North America. The 50-year-old‘s best work came with the relatively unknown Swedish outfit Östersunds before he entered mainstream prominence.

His team must first overcome Ukraine in Valencia, then the winners of Poland vs. Albania.

UEFA Path B

Date	Fixture	Location	Playoff Round
March 26	Ukraine vs. Sweden	Estadi Ciutat de València, Valencia	Semifinal 3
March 26	Poland vs. Albania	Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw	Semifinal 4
March 31	Winner SF 3 vs. Winner SF 4	Estadi Ciutat de València, Valencia or Nationalarenan, Solna	Final

Türkiye

Arda Güler — Türkiye aren’t shy of talent. | GOKHAN TANER/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Each of the pathways look pretty well-matched, but Türkiye is a notch above its three rivals in the third group of hopefuls, as it aims to reach the World Cup for the first time since reaching the last four in 2002.

The perennial tournament dark-horses memorably flopped at Euro 2020, but it did themselves proud four years later in Germany, reaching the quarterfinals.

Vincenzo Montella has come under scrutiny in charge of a talented crop, but he remains at the helm and can hardly be blamed for finishing behind outstanding European champions Spain in qualifying.

It’d be a pretty sizeable upset if Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo qualify at Türkiye’s expense.

UEFA Path C

Date	Fixture	Location	Playoff Round
March 26	Türkiye vs. Romania	Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul	Semifinal 5
March 26	Slovakia vs. Kosovo	Tehelné pole, Bratislava	Semifinal 6
March 31	Winner SF 6 vs. Winner SF 5	Tehelné pole, Bratislava or Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina	Final

Denmark

Mikkel Damsgaard — Denmark were pipped to the post by Scotland in qualifying. | Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Thomas Frank’s former assistant Brian Riemer is at the helm of the Danish national team after Kasper Hjulmand’s mightily successful spell in charge reached a natural conclusion after Euro 2024.

However, there’s a sense that this team hasn’t quite evolved from their apex under Riemer’s predecessor, and the team flattered to deceive in qualifying.

Still, Denmark should have no issues bypassing North Macedonia in Thursday’s semifinal, but Czechia or the Republic of Ireland will provide a much sterner test in a final that’ll either be hosted in Prague or Dublin.

UEFA Path D

Date	Fixture	Location	Playoff Round
March 26	Denmark vs. North Macedonia	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen	Semifinal 7
March 26	Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland	Fortuna Arena, Prague	Semifinal 8
March 31	Winner SF 8 vs. Winner SF 7	Stadion Letná, Prague or Aviva Stadium, Dublin	Final

Inter-Confederation Playoffs

DR Congo

Cédric Bakambu — The DR Congo dramatically overcame Nigeria on penalties to reach the IC playoffs. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

DR Congo is expected to overcome Nigeria’s appeal to FIFA and retain its spot in the inter-confederation playoffs, having defeated the Super Eagles on penalties to reach this stage last November.

Ranked 56th in the world, the African nation is the highest seed in the inter-confederation playoffs, and was gifted an automatic spot in the final of Pathway 1. It will almost certainly face Jamaica, who meet minnows New Caledonia on Thursday, and will hope to capitalize on the Caribbean nation’s regret of failing to qualify automatically.

The DR Congo have infamously made one World Cup appearance, back in 1974 when they were known as Zaire.

IC Path 1

Date	Fixture	Location	Playoff Round
26 March 2026	New Caledonia vs. Jamaica	Estadio Akron, Zapopan	Semifinal
31 March 2026	DR Congo vs. Winner of Semifinal	Estadio Akron, Zapopan	Final

Bolivia

Miguel Tricereos — Bolivia haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 1994. | AIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty Images

Unlike DR Congo, Bolivia will have to win twice this month to qualify for this summer’s tournament.

The South American giant has to triumph away from its high-altitude home to do so, and it won just once on its travels in qualifying to finish seventh in the CONMEBOL table.

Still, the South Americans will be expected to cruise beyond Suriname to set up a meeting with Iraq, who may be the second-highest-ranked nation in the inter-confederation playoffs, but shouldn’t be feared by a side that beat Colombia and Brazil in qualifying.

Bolivia haven’t been involved in soccer’s grandest event since USA ’94.

IC Path 2

Date	Fixture	Location	Playoff Round
26 March 2026	Bolivia vs. Suriname	Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe	Semifinal
31 March 2026	Iraq vs. Winner of Semifinal	Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe	Final