Six teams enter, two will remain over a five-day span starting on March 26th as the non-UEFA regions sort out the final places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While UEFA will send four additional teams to the World Cup-a preview of which is outlined here—the remaining confederations can only send two more teams. The stakes are high, and history will be made in Mexico. Here is your look at all the action.
Guadalajara Bracket Features Jamaica and DR Congo
The Guadalajara bracket (Estadio Akron) will almost surely feature a final between Jamaica and DR Congo. New Caledonia is here representing OFC, and they play Jamaica on March 26th. Having only briefly reached the top 100 of the FIFA rankings and never having won an OFC Nations Cup—much less reached the World Cup—New Caledonia qualifying would be the biggest shock in World Cup history. This is a side that lost 3–0 to New Zealand in Auckland last March. Most of their squad played their football in the domestic league, or in the lower tiers of French football; there’s also Angelo Fulgini at Al-Taawoun in Saudi Arabia. You don’t know these players, but being competitive against Jamaica would make them famous.
Jamaica could reach a second-ever World Cup. Football is growing in Jamaica and improving, though they had a poor showing in the Gold Cup last year and drew their last two qualifying matches. Most of this Reggae Boyz squad plays in either England’s lower divisions or in the United States. The biggest name is midfielder Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), while three young players—including Sheffield United’s Andre Brooks and Coventry City’s Ephron Mason-Clark—were capped. Forward Shamar Nicholson was not called up, which could raise questions if Jamaica struggles to find goals.
DR Congo reached the World Cup in 1974 and went on an eight-game unbeaten run between AFCON and World Cup qualifying, but last played in January, where they lost to Algeria in the AFCON round of 16. The leader of DR Congo is Chancel Mbemba of Lille. There are a number of Europe-based top-division players in the squad, including West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Betis’s Cédric Bakambu. DR Congo has better defenders and forwards on paper than Jamaica; it would be a significant failure if they don’t qualify.
Graham Arnold Tries to Steer Iraq Into World Cup in Monterrey Bracket
The Monterrey bracket is the most competitive: Bolivia plays Suriname, and the winner gets Iraq, managed by Australian Graham Arnold. It could be argued that extra rest is an advantage, but Iraq may arrive rusty and undercooked. Travel problems due to the ongoing regional conflict have impacted the entire Middle East, including Iraq’s team. Getting an extra competitive game in could benefit the winner of Bolivia–Suriname.
Bolivia could go to the World Cup for the first time since 1994. They arrive at this playoff in poor form, goalless in five of their last seven matches, with only a recent win against Trinidad and Tobago team. Playing at altitude at home helps a physical Bolivian team significantly—it’s how they qualified—but Monterrey doesn’t have enough altitude to favor their style, and they frequently get exposed at neutral venues. They don’t just lose away to teams like Venezuela and Colombia; they usually lose without scoring.
The squad mostly features players from Bolivia’s top division. Thirty-nine-year-old Carlos Lampe is in goal, and there are some young players, including CF Montréal’s Efraín Morales. LDU Quito’s Gabriel Villamil is a key midfielder alongside Santos’ Miguel Terceros. Two young forwards—Wydad Casablanca’s Moisés Paniagua and Chungbuk Cheongju’s Enzo Monteiro—could be called on to produce goals. There’s no current legend in this squad, but someone could become one after two games.
Suriname has a relatively strong team by CONCACAF standards as it seeks a first-ever World Cup appearance. Two wins over El Salvador last year and several draws were enough to push them to this stage under Henk ten Cate. Most of Suriname’s roster is Europe-based, with experienced players like 37-year-old Tjaronn Chery at NEC. LASK’s Melayro Bogarde will debut, as will Leeds United’s Joel Piroe, while Mainz’s Sheraldo Becker is one of the main danger men.
Arnold’s Iraq last reached the World Cup in 1986. The Lions did lose to South Korea at home in June but have otherwise been solid in recent outings. Many of the squad play domestically, with Viktoria Plzeň’s Merchas Doski and Luton Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi notable exceptions. Iraq is expected to press in the final qualifying match, but Suriname is good enough to challenge them, while Bolivia is simply off the mark without the advantage of altitude.
In the end, this is what the inter-confederation play-offs are all about: opportunity and pressure colliding in their purest form. For Jamaica or DR Congo, it’s a chance to continue growth on the global stage. For Iraq, it’s about finishing a job decades in the making. For Bolivia and Suriname, it’s about defying history altogether. And for New Caledonia, simply being here is already unprecedented—but they won’t think that’s enough.
Over five days, reputations won’t matter, and neither will past achievements. Form, execution, and composure will decide everything. Two teams will leave Mexico with a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The other four will be left wondering how close they came.
Main Photo: Smartframe Images
