On paper, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s playoff run next March could be a walk in the park.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament draw was conducted on Thursday, and given their better ranking, DR Congo will only play in one of the two finals, which means they are 90 minutes away from qualifying for the global showpiece.
DR Congo, who are ranked 56th globally, qualified for the inter-confederation playoffs by beating Nigeria to win Africa’s playoff.
Now, standing are Jamaica, ranked 70th, and New Caledonia, who are placed 149th.
New Caledonia will take on Jamaica in the Pathway 1 semi-final, with the winner facing DR Congo for a place in the World Cup in North America.
The Play-Off Tournament will feature two finals, in which the winners of the semi-finals contested by the unseeded teams will face the two seeded teams, with the nations that prevail in the finals securing their spots at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The four lowest-ranked nations in the latest FIFA World Rankings – Bolivia, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname – were unseeded and met in bracket semi-finals, while the two highest-ranked teams – Congo DR and Iraq – were seeded and went directly into the finals.
The Play-Off Tournament, which involves two teams from Concacaf and one team apiece from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC, will take place in March 2026 during the international fixture window, which runs from 23 to 31 March. It was confirmed on 19 November 2025 that Guadalajara and Monterrey had been selected as the Play-Off Tournament’s host cities.
The two winners, along with the four teams that emerge from the European play-offs, will join the 42 nations already assured of their FIFA World Cup spots.
