Which teams can still qualify for the World Cup, and when are the playoffs?

EXPLAINERA breakdown of the intercontinental tournament that will determine two of the last six teams to qualify for the World Cup 2026.After participating in months-long regional qualification rounds and spending years to realise their biggest dream, six teams will have one last shot at making it to the FIFA-world-cup-2026" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="1548" data-entity-type="event">FIFA World Cup 2026 when they face off in the interconfederation playoffs this week.The FIFA Playoff Tournament will see two teams seal their place in the tournament cohosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States in June and July.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Supporter groups file lawsuit against FIFA over World Cup ticket priceslist 2 of 4Senegal and Morocco tied by religion and trade but divided by AFCON falloutlist 3 of 4World Cup security concerns grow in US as funding stallslist 4 of 4Messi censured for meeting and applauding Trump amid US attacks on Iranend of listAt the same time, separate playoffs are being held by UEFA for the final four European qualifiers.This year’s World Cup will be the biggest ever with 48 nations playing in three countries over five weeks, but with six spots still up for grabs, there’s still one last challenge for some aspirants.Which teams are in the intercontinental playoffs? Iraq Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Bolivia New Caledonia Jamaica Suriname How does the FIFA playoff tournament work?The four lowest-ranked nations – Bolivia, New Caledonia, Jamaica and Suriname – will play in two semifinals with the winners advancing to a final against one of the two highest-ranked teams, the DRC and Iraq.The teams winning those two games will advance to the World Cup.What’s the FIFA interconfederation playoff tournament schedule?Pathway 1: New Caledonia vs Jamaica on Thursday at 22:00 GMT. The winner plays the DRC.Pathway 2: Bolivia vs Suriname on Friday at 03:00 GMT. The winner plays Iraq.Final 1: DRC vs TBD on Tuesday at 21:00 GMT.Final 2: Iraq vs TBD on Wednesday at 03:00 GMT.The DRC are ranked 48th in the FIFA team rankings [File: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP]Where will the tournament be played?Mexico will host the games in Guadalajara and Monterrey, which will also serve as FIFA World Cup host cities.