FIFA World Cup Playoff Draw results: One of Portugal or Italy will miss World Cup in Qatar

Simon Borg

FIFA World Cup Playoff Draw results: One of Portugal or Italy will miss World Cup in Qatar image

For 16 nations, the World Cup playoffs will represent one last-ditch chance to make it to the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The playoff draw that will be held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Friday, Nov. 26 will spell out exactly what they will have to do (live on FIFA.com, on YouTube and on Twitter).

There are a total of five World Cup berths on the line — three in the European playoffs and two in the intercontinental playoffs — but they will all follow a similar format: every match will be a knockout. It's win or go home.

The European playoffs will take place in late March 2022, while the two intercontinental playoffs will be staged at a neutral venue in June 2022. 

MORE: Everything you need to know about the playoff draws

Sporting News will be following the draw live and providing updates on the matchups as they happen, including other details that are shared during the event.

World Cup playoff draw - live updates

European playoffs (3 World Cup berths)

There are 12 European nations which still have hope of making the World Cup after failing to earn a direct berth by finishing first in their qualifying groups. But what's for sure is that Italy and Portugal cannot both advance after the two European powers were drawn in the same bracket. 

The 10 runners-up from each qualifying group were joined by two group winners in the UEFA Nations League (Austria and Czech Republic) — the latter's inclusion helps raise the competitive stakes of the UEFA Nations League — and the draw split them up into three different brackets, or 'paths' as FIFA prefers to call them (see below). Each is essentially a "final four".

Each bracket will feature two knockout semifinals (March 24) and then a knockout final (March 29). The six seeds with the highest points total during group-stage qualifying (minus points against last-place teams for those nations involved in six-team qualifying groups) host the semifinals. A draw determined the team that will be hosting the decisive knockout final. 

Pot 1 (seeded teams): Italy, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Wales

Pot 2 (unseeded teams): Austria, Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine

Home teams listed first

Bracket (Path) A (1 World Cup berth)

Date Match
Thurs, March 24 Semi #1: Scotland vs. Ukraine
Thurs, March 24 Semi #2: Wales vs. Austria
Tues, March 29 Final (Wales or Austria will host)

Bracket (Path) B (1 World Cup berth)

Date Match
Thurs, March 24 Semi #1: Russia vs. Poland
Thurs, March 24 Semi #2: Sweden vs. Czech Republic
Tues, March 29 Final (Russia or Poland will host)

Bracket (Path) C (1 World Cup berth)

Date Match
Thurs, March 24 Semi #1: Italy vs. North Macedonia
Thurs, March 24 Semi #2: Portugal vs. Turkey 
Tues, March 29 Final (Portugal or Turkey will host)

Intercontinental playoffs (2 World Cup berths)

After the European draw, there will be a draw that will determine the matchups between the four playoff qualifiers from the four different continents that advanced to the FIFA intercontinental playoffs. The two matches will be held at a neutral venue in June 2022.

Date Match
Mon/Tues, June 13/14 Asia playoff qualifer vs. South America playoff qualifier
Mon/Tues, June 13/14 North America playoff qualifier vs. Oceania playoff qualifier 

How to watch the FIFA World Cup playoff draw

  • Date: Friday, Nov. 26
  • Time: 11 a.m. ET (5 p.m. CET - Central European Time)
  • Stream: FIFA.com, Twitter, YouTube

The draw will be held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Friday, Nov. 26. There will be a live stream available on FIFA.com, on YouTube, and on Twitter via the official FIFA World Cup handle.

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.