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World Cup 2026 playoffs live scores: Updated results, highlights from UEFA and FIFA intercontinental qualifiers

April 1, 2026
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World Cup 2026 playoffs live scores: Updated results, highlights from UEFA and FIFA intercontinental qualifiers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The finals of the 2026 World Cup playoffs all take place today, as teams compete for the last six spots at this summer’s tournament.

The four finals of the UEFA pathways are staged at four different venues across the continent, while the two intercontinental games will be played in Monterrey, Mexico.

Italy are among the teams hoping to qualify for the World Cup proper. The Azzurri, who face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their playoff final, are bidding to avoid the ignominy of missing out on a third straight World Cup.

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World Cup playoffs live scores

FIFA intercontinental finals: Tuesday, March 31

Congo DR vs. Jamaica

Iraq vs. Bolivia

UEFA finals: Tuesday, March 31

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy

Czechia vs. Denmark

Kosovo vs. Turkey

Sweden vs. Poland

MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:

World Cup qualifying live updates, results, highlights from today’s matches

All times ET.

11:01 p.m.: We are underway from Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Guadalupe, Mexico for the final qualifier between Iraq and Bolivia.

7:47 p.m.: CONGO WIN! DR Congo joins the list of World Cup bids, taking down Jamaica 1-0 after scoring in the 100th minute. 

7:15 p.m.: GOAL! CONGO LEADS 1-0! In the 100th minute, they are no longer scoreless. Axel Tuanzebe of Congo scores off a corner kick. Jamaica will have 20 minutes to even it up.

6:49 p.m.: Congo vs. Jamaica remains scoreless in the 89th minute. Congo, which leads 13-4 in shots, appeared to have a go-ahead score in the 86th minute, but it was called back due to offsides. 

6:05 p.m.: Back underway in Guadalajara. Not much to split these teams so far.

5:49 p.m.: It’s halftime of the first intercontinental playoff final, with DR Congo and Jamaica locked at 0-0.

5:34 p.m.: BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA WIN! Italy have made history: they are the first former world champions to miss out on three consecutive World Cups!

5:33 p.m.: CRISTANTE HITS THE BAR! Bosnia and Herzegovina will qualify if they score their next penalty…

5:30 p.m.: CZECHIA WIN THE SHOOTOUT 3-1! They’re heading to the World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina lead Italy 2-0…

5:27 p.m.: Captain Edin Dzeko looks to have badly hurt his shoulder just before extra time ended. It seems the veteran may have to miss the shootout (although he didn’t take one against Wales in the semifinal anyway).

5:23 p.m.: We’re heading to penalties in Bosnia and Herzegovina, too!

5:16 p.m.: We’re going to penalties in Prague! It finishes 2-2 after extra time.

5:09 p.m.: GOAL! DENMARK MAKE IT 2-2! What a game in Prague. Kasper Hogh glances in from a corner, and it looks like we’re heading for penalties.

Watch in USA:

4:59 p.m.: Controversy here as Tarik Muharemovic is only shown a yellow card for a foul on Marco Palestra as he ran through on goal. Referee Clement Turpin decided the defender close by meant it wasn’t a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. The Italians disagree.

4:51 p.m.: GOAL! CZECHIA LEAD 2-1! Ladislav Krejci restores the lead over Denmark in extra time. They have around 10 minutes to hold out.

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4:42 p.m.: TURKEY WIN! Kosovo’s dream is over. Italy’s game is heading to extra time.

4:40 p.m.: SWEDEN WIN 3-2! They qualify for the World Cup. Poland and Robert Lewandowski miss out.

4:37 p.m.: The 90 minutes are up in Prague — we’re heading to extra time.

4:35 p.m.: GOAL! SWEDEN LEAD 3-2! Gyokeres has scored the goal that surely sends them to the World Cup!

Watch in USA:

4:28 p.m.: GOAL! BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA EQUALISE! A brilliant cross from Amar Dedic is headed goalwards, Donnarumma saves superbly, but Haris Tabakovic pokes home the rebound! The goal is being checked for a possible infringement… but it stands!

4:15 p.m.: GOAL! CZECHIA 1-1 DENMARK! Joachim Andersen gets to Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick ahead of goalkeeper Matej Kovar, and he heads into the net.

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4:08 p.m.: WHAT A CHANCE FOR KEAN! He intercepts a pass and just sprints away from the home defence. With only the keeper to beat, he goes for power, but his finish flies narrowly over the bar. A second goal could have been MASSIVE for Italy!

4:02 p.m.: GOAL! POLAND 2-2 SWEDEN! Karol Swiderski taps in at the near post after Sweden’s defence goes to sleep.

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4:00 p.m.: GOAL! 1-0 TURKEY! Kerem Akturkoglu scuffs his team into the lead against Kosovo.

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KICKOFF: SECOND HALF

We’re off and running again…

HALFTIME SCORES:

Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-1 Italy
Czechia 1-0 Denmark
Sweden 2-1 Poland
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey

3:30 p.m.: GOAL! SWEDEN LEAD 2-1! Just before halftime, Gustaf Lagerbielke nods home a free-kick from point-blank range to restore the advantage.

Watch in USA:

3:28 p.m.: RED CARD! BASTONI IS SENT OFF FOR ITALY! The Inter Milan defender slides in and brings down Amar Memic as he races towards the penalty area. It was at the corner of the box, but there was no covering defender, and the referee deems that the deliberate denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. Gattuso is taking off Mateo Retegui to bring on Federico Gatti.

3:24 p.m.: Bosnia and Herzegovina have had 11 attempts to Italy’s two, but they haven’t tested Donnarumma when in good positions. The Azzurri are living dangerously, though.

3:21 p.m.: GOAL! POLAND EQUALISE! Nicola Zalewski cuts in from the left and places a shot towards the bottom-right corner. It seemed to wrong-foot goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt, who got a hand to the ball but couldn’t keep it out.

Watch in USA:

3:16 p.m.: It’s still goalless between Kosovo and Turkey. The visitors have had 70% of the possession, but Kosovo have had the better chances.

3:06 p.m.: GOAL! 1-0 SWEDEN! Anthony Elanga puts them ahead against Poland. It’s another emphatic finish — it seems only really good goals will do when the World Cup is on the line!

Watch in USA:

3:01 p.m.: GOAL! 1-0 ITALY! It’s a horrible moment for goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who passes the ball straight to Nicolo Barella. He plays a pass through to Moise Kean, who fires home a brilliant first-time finish from 18 yards. Outstanding strike, but an awful moment for Vasilj.

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2:57 p.m.: GOAL! 1-0 CEZCHIA! It’s a fast start in Prague for the home side, who take the lead courtesy of a thunderous Pavel Sulc shot from just inside the box.

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KICKOFF

The games are off and running!

2:30 p.m.: One of today’s other finals sees Sweden face Poland. It means one of Viktor Gyokeres and Robert Lewandowski will not be playing at the World Cup.

2 p.m.: Gianluigi Donnarumma gives his thoughts on Italy’s game in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Azzurri are bidding to avoid failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.

1:40 p.m.: It all comes down to this — the final day of World Cup qualifying. The remaining six spots at the tournament will be filled by the winners of today’s playoffs across Europe and in Mexico.

Who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

Forty-two of the 48 teams in the 2026 World Cup were drawn in December, with the remaining six spots to be filled by the UEFA and intercontinental playoff winners.

Here is the full list of countries to qualify for the World Cup so far:

Nation Confederation Last World Cup appearance
United States (host) CONCACAF 2022
Mexico (host) CONCACAF 2022
Canada (host) CONCACAF 2022
Panama CONCACAF 2018
Haiti CONCACAF 1974
Curacao CONCACAF None (First appearance)
Japan AFC 2022
Iran AFC 2022
Uzbekistan AFC None (First appearance)
Australia AFC 2022
South Korea AFC 2022
Jordan AFC None (First appearance)
Saudi Arabia AFC 2022
Qatar AFC 2022
Morocco CAF 2022
Tunisia CAF 2022
Egypt CAF 2018
Algeria CAF 2014
Ghana CAF 2022
Cape Verde CAF None (First appearance)
South Africa CAF 2010
Senegal CAF 2022
Ivory Coast CAF 2014
Argentina CONMEBOL 2022
Ecuador CONMEBOL 2022
Brazil CONMEBOL 2022
Colombia CONMEBOL 2018
Uruguay CONMEBOL 2022
Paraguay CONMEBOL 2010
New Zealand OFC 2010
England UEFA 2022
France UEFA 2022
Croatia UEFA 2022
Portugal UEFA 2022
Norway UEFA 1998
Germany UEFA 2022
Netherlands UEFA 2022
Spain UEFA 2022
Belgium UEFA 2022
Switzerland UEFA 2022
Austria UEFA 1998
Scotland UEFA 1998
Bosnia and Herzegovina UEFA (playoffs) 2014
Czechia  UEFA (playoffs) 2006
Turkey UEFA (playoffs) 2002
Sweden UEFA (playoffs)  2018
DR Congo Intercontinental playoffs 1974
Iraq OR Bolivia Intercontinental playoffs

How do the World Cup playoffs work?

UEFA playoffs

Twelve of UEFA’s 16 spots were taken by the group winners from the initial format of four or five-team groups. The 12 runners-up, along with the four best UEFA Nations League group winners that finished outside of the top two in their World Cup qualifying groups, enter the playoffs.

Those 16 teams were drawn into four paths with two single-game rounds. The seeded teams will be at home in the semifinals, with a home nation for the four finals drawn in advance. The winners from each path advance to the World Cup. UEFA is the only confederation without a representative in the inter-continental playoff.

The full draw and brackets for the UEFA playoffs are detailed here.

Intercontinental playoffs

The two teams in the six-nation playoff with the highest FIFA ranking are seeded. The four unseeded teams play an effective semifinal, with the two winners progressing to face a seed apiece to decide the final two places at the World Cup.

The four-game playoff will be used as a World Cup test event and played in two venues in Mexico, with some games at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and others at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.

World Cup qualifying pathways

World Cup groups 2026

The UEFA playoff paths, like their intercontinental counterparts, were placed into Pot 4 for the group-stage draw because the individual qualifiers were not known at the time. That meant a potentially more difficult group stage for the teams that progress.

The pathways were drawn as follows:

  • UEFA Playoff A winner: Group B (Canada, Qatar, Switzerland)
  • UEFA Playoff B winner: Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia)
  • UEFA Playoff C winner: Group D (USA, Paraguay, Australia)
  • UEFA Playoff D winner: Group A (Mexico, South Africa, South Korea)

Meanwhile, the intercontinental playoff winners will be drawn into Group K and Group I:

  • FIFA Playoff 1 winner: Group K (Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia)
  • FIFA Playoff 2 winner: Group I (France, Senegal and Norway)

WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:

Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L

World Cup playoffs schedule 2026

European playoffs

Pathway A

Semifinal

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland New Balance Arena (Bergamo, Italy)
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Wales 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia & Herzegovina adv. 4-3 on pens		 Cardiff City Stadium (Cardiff, Wales)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 31, 2026 2:45 p.m. Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. Italy Bilino Polje Stadium (Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Pathway B

Semifinal

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Ukraine 1-3 Sweden Estadi Ciutat de Valencia (Valencia, Spain)
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Poland 2-1 Albania PGE Narodowy (Warsaw, Poland)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 31, 2026 2:45 p.m. Sweden vs. Poland Strawberry Arena (Stockholm, Sweden)

Pathway C

Semifinal

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 26, 2026 12 p.m. Turkey 1-0 Romania Besiktas Stadyumu (Istanbul, Turkey)
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Slovakia 3-4 Kosovo  Tehelne pole (Bratislava, Slovakia)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 31, 2026 2:45 p.m. Kosovo vs. Turkey Pristina City Stadium (Pristina, Kosovo)

Pathway D

Semifinal

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia Parken (Copenhagen, Denmark)
March 26, 2026 2:45 p.m. Czechia 2-2 Republic of Ireland
Czechia adv. 4-3 on pens		 Fortuna Arena (Prague-Vrsovice, Czechia)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 31, 2026 2:45 p.m. Czechia vs. Denmark epet ARENA (Prague, Czechia)

Intercontinental playoffs

Pathway 1

Semifinal

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 26 7 p.m. New Caledonia vs. Jamaica Estadio Akron (Guadalajara)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 31 5 p.m. DR Congo vs. Jamaica Estadio Akron (Guadalajara)

Pathway 2

Semifinal

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 26 1 p.m. Bolivia vs. Suriname Estadio BBVA (Monterrey)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
March 31 11 p.m. Iraq vs. Bolivia Estadio BBVA (Monterrey)

SN’s Kyle Bonn contributed to this article

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