While Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland missed out on automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, they still have a final chance to get there via the European playoffs this March.
Sixteen teams from Europe – 12 runners-up from the World Cup qualifying group stage plus four that earned places via the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League — will be battling for four spots in a knockout format to reach the World Cup.
Craig Bellamy, Michael O’Neill and Heimir Hallgrímsson will all be desperate to get their teams on the plane — but will they make it?
Looking at the difficulty of their route, the full schedule, how you can follow it, and what World Cup group the teams would enter, ESPN has you covered.
Wales sealed their World Cup playoff place in style with a 7-1 win over North Macedonia. Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty ImagesCan Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland all qualify?
Sadly, no. But two of them can!
The 16 teams have been split up into four paths — labelled A-D — each containing four teams. Each path has two single-leg semifinals (on Thursday, March 26) before the winners of those games progress to a single-leg final (on Tuesday, March 31). That means four teams will progress. Win your two one-off games, and you’re in.
Wales and Northern Ireland are both in Path A, taking on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy respectively. As the winners of those games will play each other, it means at most one of Wales or Northern Ireland can qualify for the World Cup.
The Republic of Ireland are in Path D.
– 2026 World Cup European playoffs explained: How it works, teams, schedule
How can Wales qualify and how difficult will it be?
Wales are in Path A. To qualify for the World Cup, Wales must first beat Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, March 26, and then the winner of Italy and Northern Ireland’s match on Tuesday, March 31.
The semifinal will be played in Cardiff, while the final will be at the home stadiums of either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are the 15th out of the 16 playoff sides in terms of world rankings (ranked 75th), giving Wales (35th) a great chance of advancing through to the finals. Italy, however, should they beat Northern Ireland, are the highest-ranked side (13th).
How can Northern Ireland qualify and how difficult will it be?
Northern Ireland are in Path A. To qualify for the World Cup, Northern Ireland must first beat Italy on Thursday, March 26, and then the winner of Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s match on Tuesday, March 31.
The semifinal will be played in Rome, while the final will be at the home stadiums of either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Northern Ireland face a daunting prospect; Italy are four-time World Cup winners and the disparity of the two nations’ rankings (13th vs. 69th) makes this the most uneven semifinal of the lot. Should Northern Ireland pull off a miracle, they’ll then travel to face Wales, ranked 34 places above them in the world, or Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of two sides from the playoffs ranked below them.
Troy Parrott’s two goals gave the Republic of Ireland an upset win over Portugal in Dublin in qualifying. Liam McBurney/PA Images via Getty ImagesHow can the Republic of Ireland qualify and how difficult will it be?
The Republic of Ireland are in Path D. To qualify for the World Cup, Ireland must first beat Czechia on Thursday, March 26, and then the winner of Denmark and North Macedonia’s match on Tuesday, March 31.
The semifinal will be played in Prague, while the final will be at the home stadiums of either Ireland or Czechia.
Czechia are the favourites for the semifinal — ranked 44th in the world and 16 places ahead of Ireland. Denmark are the favourites for Path D, as they are the second highest-ranked side in the playoffs (21st) and have plenty of big-tournament experience.
How to watch the games in the UK
Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland’s semifinals all take place at 7.45 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.
The only games confirmed to be on TV in the UK are Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy vs. Northern Ireland.
Wales-Bosnia and Herzegovina is on BBC Two and BBC One Wales, while Italy vs Northern Ireland is on BBC Three and BBC One NI. Both are also on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
European Path fixtures in full
Path A
Semifinal 1: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Bergamo
Semifinal 2: Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cardiff
Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy/Northern Ireland
Path B
Semifinal 3: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Valencia
Semifinal 4: Poland vs. Albania, Warsaw
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs. Poland/Albania
Path C
Semifinal 5: Türkiye vs. Romania
Semifinal 6: Slovakia vs. Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo vs Türkiye/Romania
Path D
Semifinal 7: Denmark vs. North Macedonia
Semifinal 8: Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland
Final: Czechia/Republic of Ireland vs. Denmark/North Macedonia
What World Cup group would Wales and Northern Ireland be in?
All playoff teams were seeded into Pot 4 for the December’s World Cup draw, marking them as the lowest-ranked sides and ensuring they face higher-ranked opponents in the group stage.
The winner of each playoff path will join a specific group:
The Path A winner — which Wales and Northern Ireland both hope will be them — will join Group B with co-hosts Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.
What World Cup group would Ireland be in?
If Ireland win Path D, they will join Group A with co-hosts Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea.
Wales squad for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goalkeepers: K Darlow (Leeds), D Ward (Wrexham), A Davies (Sheff Utd), T King (Everton)
Defenders: B Cabango (Swansea), J Dasilva (Coventry), R Norrington-Davies (QPR, on loan from Sheff Utd), R Kpakio (Cardiff), D Lawlor (Cardiff), J Rodon (Leeds), N Williams (Nottm Forest)
Midfielders: J James (Leicester, on loan from Rennes), J Sheehan (Bolton), J Colwill (Cardiff), D Brooks (Bournemouth), S Thomas (Stoke), R Colwill (Cardiff), H Wilson (Fulham), E Ampadu (Leeds)
Forwards: N Broadhead (Wrexham), L Cullen (Swansea), M Harris (Oxford), L Koumas (Hull, on loan from Liverpool), D James (Leeds), B Johnson (C Palace), R Matondo (Rangers)
Can Northern Ireland pull off a shock against Italy? Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty ImagesNorthern Ireland squad for Italy
Goalkeepers: Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Blackpool, on loan from Birmingham), Conor Hazard (Plymouth), Pierce Charles (Sheff Wed), Josh Clarke (Partick Thistle, on loan from Celtic)
Defenders: Dan Ballard (Sunderland), Trai Hume (Sunderland), Ciaron Brown (Oxford), Brodie Spencer (Oxford), Paddy McNair (Hull), Eoin Toal (Bolton), Ruairi McConville (Norwich), Terry Devlin (Portsmouth)
Midfielders: Jamie Donley (Oxford), Jamie McDonnell (Oxford), George Saville (Luton), Ali McCann (Preston), Shea Charles (Southampton), Isaac Price (West Brom), Paul Smyth (QPR), Ethan Galbraith (Swansea), Justin Devenny (Crystal Palace), Brad Lyons (Kilmarnock), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley), Kieran Morrison (Liverpool)
Forwards: Josh Magennis (Exeter), Dion Charles (Huddersfield), Callum Marshall (Bochum, on loan from West Ham), Jamie Reid (Stevenage)
Republic of Ireland squad for Czechia
TBC