A 22-Team Race for the Final Six 2026 World Cup Tickets

BERGAMO, WEDNESDAY – With only about 70 days remaining until the opening of the 2026 World Cup, there are 22 teams left competing for the last six tickets to the qualifying round of this year's biggest football tournament. The decisive battles are spread across several countries in Europe and two cities in Mexico, Guadalupe and Zapopan.

The 22 teams still holding a hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup consist of 16 UEFA (European) teams and six teams competing in the interconfederation playoffs. The 16 European teams are divided into four different paths, A through D, each consisting of four teams. They will compete for four spots.

The six interconfederation zone teams are divided into two paths to compete for the remaining two tickets. Each path is followed by three teams.

The European Route A is comprised of Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, and Northern Ireland. Route B includes Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, and Albania. Route C features competition among Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey, and Romania. Finally, Route D involves the Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark, and North Macedonia.

In order to secure the remaining four slots in Europe, a team must win twice. This consists of one semifinal match, followed by another victory in the final match of each pathway.

Sharp attention is directed towards Italy. The owner of four World Cup trophies has been absent from the last two editions, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, due to being eliminated in the playoff stage. Sweden and North Macedonia were the ones who shattered Italy's dreams in the previous two European zone playoff editions.

The shadow of a third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup looms over Italy, coached by Gennaro Gattuso, the 2006 World Cup champion. "Gli Azzurri" under Gattuso do not possess the quality comparable to the world champions of the German edition two decades ago.

The name of the great star is rightly attributed to the goalkeeper and captain, Gianluigi Donnarumma. The remaining 27 players do not deserve to be called world-class caliber players.

In the attacking line, for example, it has become a major issue for Gattuso. Italy currently lacks players who hold star status in the major Italian teams, such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus.

As a reference, the top scorers for Gli Azzurri at present are Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, and Moise Kean, each having scored 11 goals. Raspadori plays for Atalanta, Kean represents Fiorentina, and Retegui is the first player from the Italian national team to have a career in Saudi Arabia with Al-Qadsiah.

However, amidst these limitations, Italy must conquer Northern Ireland at the New Balance Arena Stadium in Bergamo, Friday (27/3/2025) at 02:45 WIB, and then win the duel between the winner of the match between Wales and Bosnia in order to return to the World Cup. Gattuso acknowledged that this situation has created anxiety within the Italian squad.

"It cannot be denied that there is nervousness. Only a person without blood flow would not feel it. However, we are obliged to carry out our duties well to turn that situation into something positive," said Gattuso at a press conference on Tuesday (24/3/2026) local time or Wednesday (25/3/2026) early morning WIB.

The hope of qualifying for North America 2026 has been expressed by the entire Italian public. The Italian government hopes that Gli Azzurri can meet the expectations of the entire nation.

"From every generation of the Italian people, the World Cup is a time when the nation comes together and waves our flag. Our national spirit has now transcended football, but still watching the team in the World Cup is an important moment to give young supporters a sense of what previous generations experienced," said Italian Minister of Sports Andrea Abodi to La Stampa.

If they qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Italy is set to join Group B. They will compete against the host, Canada, as well as Qatar and Switzerland.

When Italy faces a curse, Iraq must instead contend with a war situation before dueling in the playoff round. The Asian ambassador must first find a way to travel to Guadalupe, Mexico, amid the war situation in the Middle East.

Missiles flying in the skies of the Arabian Peninsula due to the war between the United States-Israel and Iran nearly evaporated Iraq's dream of reaching the World Cup before heading to Mexico. In fact, Iraq only needed one victory to end a 40-year wait to compete on the world stage.

Iraq is awaiting the winner of the match between Bolivia and Suriname, which will take place at the BBVA Stadium on Friday (27/3/2026) at 05:00 WIB. Following that, Iraq's match will be held on Wednesday (1/4/2026) at 09:00 WIB.

The President of the Iraqi Football Association (IFA), Adnan Dirjal, acknowledged that his team must work extra hard to prepare the squad. Not only does he have to find ideal flights for the safety of the team, but Dirjal also has to persuade the clubs that own the players, including European clubs.

"After intensive communication, several clubs have finally agreed to facilitate their players to join the national team. We arrived in Mexico by private jet," said Dirjal.

If they qualify for the playoffs, Iraq will return to the World Cup since the 1986 edition in Mexico. They are awaited by three contestants in Group I, namely France, Norway, and Senegal.

One spot in the main round of the other interconfederation playoff is up for grabs between New Caledonia, Jamaica, or Congo. (AP/AFP)