Bolivia will face Suriname in one of the play-off semi-finals Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
What comes to mind when you hear the term 'intercontinental play-off'?
For most, the answer will involve some combination of the following: New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, ludicrous away trips, fireworks set off outside hotel rooms, jet lag, penalty kicks, joy and desperation.
These games were usually variations on a similar theme and followed a relatively settled pattern. Teams from different federations played two games -- one home, one away -- in order to determine who would make it to the World Cup. It was, in many ways, one of the purest expressions of the power of international football, overflowing with a kind of history-in-your-back-yard charm.
For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has decided to go in a different direction. We have, for the first time, a play-off tournament, taking place on neutral soil. And, after the draw in Zurich (which happened shortly before the UEFA play-off draw), we now know a little more about what this competition will look like.
The tournament will take place between March 23 and March 31, 2026, less than three months before the World Cup itself. All the games will be played in Mexico, with matches held in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
There are six teams from five confederations. Two of them -- DR Congo and Iraq -- were seeded for the draw because they sit higher in the FIFA men's world rankings than the others. Those teams go directly to the finals of two mini-brackets. The remaining four sides must face off in two single-legged semi-finals to reach that stage.
Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica
Most of the sides at this tournament were delighted to qualify, but not Jamaica. A home win against minnows Curacao would have been enough to send them to the World Cup proper, but they fluffed their lines in astonishing style, drawing 0-0. English head coach Steve McClaren resigned in the wake of that result. With just four months until the play-offs, uncertainty reigns.
Whoever comes in will have a solid defence to work with: Jamaica only conceded five times in 10 qualifiers (across two rounds). There are issues, however, including a perceived lack of professionalism at federation level and the feeling that the team would be better served by younger, hungrier players than by household names. It is worth noting, though, that Jamaica did hit the woodwork three times against Curacao; they might easily be booking hotels in the U.S. this week.
The draw has been kind to them because New Caledonia are the rank outsiders in this qualifying tournament. That is not to diminish them; reaching this stage is an extraordinary achievement by any metric.
New Caledonia is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is a French overseas territory. Its population is below 300,000. Imagine Hawaii getting to the brink of a World Cup. This is more unlikely than that.
It would be disingenuous to claim much knowledge about the football team. The players are part-timers. Some play in the local league, while others are dotted around clubs you've never heard of. Case in point: their key attacker, 37-year-old Georges Gope-Fenepej, plays in the French fourth division.
On paper, it looks like an uphill challenge against Jamaica. What New Caledonia don't lack, though, is heart. "The step is big," coach Johann Sidaner told ESPN recently. "Maybe we have a one per cent chance of qualifying for the World Cup. But we will play 100 per cent to do it."
Lying in wait: DR Congo
The highest-ranked of the play-off teams, DR Congo narrowly missed out on direct qualification from the African system, then negotiated a tricky four-team play-off to book a place in Mexico.
Their gritty, acrimonious victory over Nigeria outlined some of their assets. There was the togetherness to recover from going behind early, plus a level of control in possession that slowly tilted the match in their favour. The midfield, set up around the brilliant Sunderland youngster Noah Sadiki, is one area of strength. Another is the defence, anchored by the experienced Chancel Mbemba.
French coach Sebastien Desabre is already a national hero, having completely changed the team's fortunes since arriving in 2022. A spot at the World Cup would only enhance his reputation further.
Semi-final: Bolivia vs Suriname
Bolivia are perhaps football's most Jekyll-and-Hyde team, tough to beat at home but generally timid on the road. That is mainly down to the altitude factor: they host matches at over 4,000 metres above sea level, which makes life incredibly difficult for even the best teams. It was their strong home record that helped them see off Venezuela to finish seventh in South American qualifying.
This is not a team set up to grind out results. Their defence is fragile and the midfield does not provide great cover. Marcelo Moreno, their attacking focal point for the best part of two decades, retired during this World Cup cycle. What Bolivia do have is a talisman: wriggly winger Miguel Terceros, who plays his club football in Brazil and finished qualifying with seven goals.
Suriname, Bolivia's opponents (and fellow South Americans, geographically speaking), came within a whisker of qualifying directly from the CONCACAF region. Still, even a play-off place is the stuff of dreams for a nation who were languishing in 191st place in the rankings as recently as December 2015.
Their ascent since then owes much to strategy at the federation level. A country that has lost many of its most talented sons -- Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink -- to the Netherlands national team sought to reverse the pattern, trawling the Dutch leagues for players of Surinamese descent. The result? A few rumbles of discontent, but a more talented squad -- and an ever-growing sense of momentum.
Managed by former Ajax goalkeeper Stanley Menzo, Suriname like to dominate possession. Bolivia, who play in bursts, will probably let them do so. The latter will likely start this one as slight favourites, but do not rule out another chapter of the Suriname fairytale.
Lying in wait: Iraq
Iraq have not reached a World Cup since 1986 -- their only appearance to date -- and would have been forgiven for thinking the universe was against them during qualifying. They narrowly lost out to Jordan in the third round of the Asian process; the mini-tournament for the fourth round was then relocated to Saudi Arabia, whose national team happened to be competing.
In the end, it took a dramatic, redemptive victory over the United Arab Emirates for them to reach this point.
This is, in some ways, a side in transition. Australian coach Graham Arnold only took over in May, and the general feeling is he has yet to establish much in the way of an overarching identity, at least in tactical terms. What Iraq do have is a sense of unity and, in Mohanad Ali and Aymen Hussein, two proven international goalscorers.