Saudi Arabia to host qualifying playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The VAR reported back…
Footie fans, get excited as Saudi Arabia, together with Qatar, will be hosting the qualifying playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Get ready for the 2026 playoffs for the FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Games will be played across three match days from October 8 to October 14, and the runners-up in each group will then move on to the final playoffs in November.
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Hosting the fourth round of the Road to 26 playoffs, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have each not announced which stadiums will be hosting the tournaments, though we can’t wait for the announcements.
Teams will be divided into two groups of three nations and the winners of each will join Japan, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan in qualifying for the newly-expanded 48-nation finals from the continental preliminaries.
The six competing nations, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, qualified for round four by finishing either third or fourth in their respective groups in round three.
The two automatic spots at the World Cup finals in the US, Canada, and Mexico will go to the group winners. The winners of the two games between the runners-up in each group on November 13 and November 18 advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
There will be a final opportunity to guarantee a spot at the World Cup for the winner of this knockout stage, who will go on to the FIFA Play-off Tournament in March.
2026 playoffs for the FIFA World Cup, Oct 8 to Oct 14. the-afc.com