Wales secured a spot in the World Cup play-offs and will discover their potential opponents in the draw on Thursday, November 20, 2025. The draw, which will determine the eight semi-final fixtures and four potential final match-ups, is scheduled to take place at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, at 12:00 GMT.
Sixteen teams will compete in the UEFA play-offs for the remaining four spots, a mix of 12 second-placed nations from the European Qualifiers and the four highest-ranked Nations League winners who haven't already finished in the top two of their qualifying groups.
Following their decisive 7-1 victory over North Macedonia, Wales secured a home semi-final in the play-offs. This win was crucial in determining the seedings for the play-off draw.
The play-off draw will divide the 16 teams into four pots based on their rankings. Wales has been confirmed in Pot 2. This means they will face a team from Pot 3 in their home semi-final. The potential opponents for Wales in the semi-final are Republic of Ireland, Albania, Kosovo or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Here's the confirmed composition of the pots:
- Pot 1: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine
- Pot 2: Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland
- Pot 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo, Albania
- Pot 4: Sweden, Romania, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia
The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026, and the finals are set for Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The winners of each of the four play-off paths will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The main draw for the World Cup will take place on December 5 in Washington D.C.
The format of the play-offs involves single-leg knockout matches across four paths, each containing two semi-finals and one final. The location for the final will be determined by a draw after the semi-finals.
Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all have the chance to qualify for the World Cup through these play-offs. For the first time, UEFA will have 16 representatives at the World Cup. Twelve teams will qualify automatically, and four will come through the play-off route.
