• Iraq’s road to the World Cup passes through South America

The intercontinental playoff draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held Thursday at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, has set a challenging path for the Iraq national team.

Iraq will face a team from South America or the ambitious Suriname side in the final step toward the World Cup.

The intercontinental playoff determines the last two spots in the expanded 48-team tournament, featuring six teams from Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania.

Iraq was placed in “Path 2” of the playoff, awaiting a decisive match against the winner of the semi-final between Bolivia (representing South America) and Suriname (representing North America). This path means Iraq will play a single “final match” to determine qualification after their opponent has already played a prior matchup.

The playoff draw results set Iraq directly on the decisive path: the Democratic Republic of Congo will face the winner of New Caledonia/Jamaica in Path 1, while Iraq will face the winner of Bolivia vs. Suriname in Path 2.

Both legs of the intercontinental playoff will take place during the March 2026 international window.

FIFA announced that Mexico will host the playoff matches, providing a practical test of Mexican infrastructure about three months before the World Cup. Matches will be held in two of the country’s largest and newest stadiums: Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. Each stadium will host two matches, with the winners of the final games qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup.

Dramatic Asian playoff win

In a marathon and dramatic night at Basra International Stadium, Iraq secured its place in the intercontinental playoff with a thrilling 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates in the second leg of the Asian playoff.

The match was decided by a penalty in the final moments of stoppage time, giving the Iraq national team victory on aggregate (3-2) after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.