DR Congo will face either New Caledonia or Jamaica in one of the 2026 FIFA World Cup intercontinental playoff finals in their last push to qualify for the tournament since 1974.
The draw for the final playoff round in both the intercontinental and the European pathways was held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday.
In the intercontinental playoff, DR Congo received a bye to the final due to their higher FIFA ranking. The Congolese will face the winner of the semi-final tie between New Caledonia and Jamaica for one of the two tickets to the World Cup.
Likewise, Iraq received a bye to the second intercontinental playoff final, where it will meet the winner of the second semifinal match between Bolivia and Suriname for the last ticket to the World Cup via the intercontinental pathway.
Meanwhile, 16 nations would be participating in the European playoffs, with only four able to qualify for the World Cup. The participating nations have been divided into four paths, each consisting of four teams.
In path A, Italy will face Northern Ireland in the first semi-final, while Wales will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second semi-final. The winners of their respective matches will face each other in a final for only the World Cup slot in the path.
Path B involves a semi-final match between Ukraine and Sweden, and the second semi-final being Poland against Albania.
The winners will play each other in a final to book their place in North America.
Turkey is paired with Romania in path C Slovakia will take on Kosovo in their respective semifinal games, with winners clashing in the final for the golden prize.
In path D, Denmark will face North Macedonia for a spot in the final, while the Czech Republic takes on the Republic of Ireland for a spot in the final as well. The winners will head to the final for a winner-takes-all encounter.
