The play-off draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification took place in Switzerland with Ukraine among the participants. Ukraine was placed on Path B and will begin its campaign with a home match against Sweden.
On 20 November, Switzerland hosted the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs involving the Ukrainian national team. The information was reported by the UAF.
Following the European qualifiers and the Nations League results, 16 play-off participants were determined and divided into four pots. FIFA’s 19 November ranking was used for Pots 1–3, while Nations League group winners were assigned to Pot 4.
The pots are as follows:
Pot 1 — Italy, Denmark, Türkiye, Ukraine.
Pot 2 — Poland, Wales, Czechia, Slovakia.
Pot 3 — Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo.
Pot 4 — Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland.
As a result of the draw, Ukraine was placed on Path B. On 26 March, the team will host Sweden in the semi-final. If successful, Ukraine will play the final on 31 March against the winner of the Poland vs Albania match.
The UAF also published the full play-off brackets for Paths A, B, C, and D, as well as the schedule of the intercontinental play-offs.
After the November international window, 42 participants of the World Cup 2026 final tournament are known. The remaining six teams will qualify in March 2026: two via the intercontinental play-off and four via the European play-off.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition featuring 48 teams. There will be 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams and eight best third-placed teams advancing to the Round of 16.
Matches will take place in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The tournament will open on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City, and the final will be held on 19 July in New York. The final tournament draw will take place on 5 December.