Overview
- FIFA will conduct Thursday draws in Zurich to set matchups for a 16‑team European playoff awarding four berths and a six‑team intercontinental tournament awarding two berths in Mexico.
- The intercontinental playoff will feature Bolivia, New Caledonia, Iraq, DR Congo, Jamaica and Suriname in single‑match games hosted in Mexico, with Iraq and DR Congo receiving byes based on ranking.
- Europe’s playoff will use single‑match semifinals and finals, with pots arranged by ranking: Pot 1 Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine; Pot 2 Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia; Pot 3 Ireland, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo; Pot 4 Northern Ireland, Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia.
- The World Cup group draw is scheduled for December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, with hosts United States, Mexico and Canada confirmed as top seeds.
- Media have published provisional draw pots, including Portugal listed in Pot 1, but final allocations await FIFA’s criteria and the six playoff winners.