What are the World Cup play-offs and how do they work?
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Sixteen European nations will discover on Thursday who they will face in the play-offs to earn a spot into the 2026 World Cup.
The draw in Switzerland will comprise of 12 teams who finished second in their qualifying groups and the four best ranked Nations League group winners who missed out on top two finishes in their groups.
Just four European World Cup spots are up for grabs, with nations playing two knockout matches in order to qualify.
Six non-European teams will also compete in a separate intercontinental play-off tournament to decide the final two World Cup places.
Bolivia, DR Congo and New Caledonia will be joined by two nations from Concacaf and a country from AFC. That draw starts shortly before the European equivalent.
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How do the play-offs work?
Four of Europe's 16 spots at the 2026 World Cup will be decided via March's European play-offs
The 16 teams entering the draw will be split into four pots.
The 12 group runners-up will enter the top three pots in order of their Fifa ranking, with the four Nations League group winners placed into pot four.
One team from each pot will be drawn into four separate paths: Path A, Path B, Path C and Path D.
In each path, the pot one team will face the pot four team in a one-legged semi-final. The teams in pot two and pot three from each path will face each other in the other semi-final.
Teams in pot one and pot two will both be at home in the semi-finals. The draw will determine who hosts the final in each path.
So for example, the Path A semi-final winners will play each other in the final with the victor qualifying for the World Cup.
When do the play-offs take place?
The two rounds of play-off matches for the final World Cup spots will take place during March's international break.
The semi-finals are set start on 26 March 2026 and the finals will get under way five days later.
Potential hosts for the semi-final and final matches must confirm their venues no later than 19 December 2025.
As part of Uefa's scheduling, losing semi-finalists will face a friendly match against each other on the day of the path finals.
How to watch and follow on the BBC?
The European play-off draw will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website and app on Thursday 20 November at 12:00 GMT.
Fans can follow the BBC Sport website live text for all the reaction and also listen to the draw live on BBC Radio 5 Live - also available on BBC Sounds.
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