2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7 September 2024 – March 2025 |
| Teams | 11 (from 1 confederation) |
| OFC Qualifiers |
|---|
The Oceanian section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process is expected to take place from September 2024 to March 2025.[1] The 2026 tournament is the 16th edition of Oceanian qualifiers and marks the first time OFC has a direct qualification slot into the FIFA World Cup.[2]
Format
The qualification structure is as follows:[1]
- First round: The four lowest-ranked teams in the FIFA Men's World Rankings will play a three-match knockout round in September 2024. The winner will advance to the second round.
- Second round: The winning team from the first round will join the seven highest-ranked teams in two four-team groups in October and November 2024. The top two teams from each group will advance to the third round.
- Third round: The four teams advancing from the second round will play a three-match knockout round in March 2025 with the winner qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and the runner-up advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Entrants
All eleven eligible OFC nations have entered qualification.
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows.
| Round | Matchday | Date | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Matchday 1 | 7–10 September 2024 |  Samoa
|
| Matchday 2 | |||
| Second round | Matchday 1 | 7–15 October 2024 |  New Zealand and  Vanuatu
|
| Matchday 2 | 11–19 November 2024 | New Zealand and  Papua New Guinea
| |
| Matchday 3 | |||
| Third round | Semi-finals | March 2025 | TBA |
| Final | March 2025 |
The inter-confederation play-offs will be scheduled to be played in March 2026.
Draw
The draw for the first two rounds will be held at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland on 18 July.[1]
| Bye to second round | Competing in first round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 1 |
First round
First round matches will be played 7–10 September 2024 in Samoa.[4] The four lowest-ranked teams will compete in a knockout series, and the winner will advance to join the seven highest-ranked teams in the second round.[1]
Bracket
| Matchday 1 | Matchday 2 | |||||
| September 2024 – Apia | ||||||
| Team 1 | ||||||
| September 2024 – Apia | ||||||
| Team 2 | ||||||
| Winner Match 1 | ||||||
| September 2024 – Apia | ||||||
| Winner Match 2 | ||||||
| Team 3 | ||||||
| Team 4 | ||||||
Matchday 1
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Matchday 2
The winner advances to the second round.
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Second round
The second round will take place from 7 October to 19 November 2024 with two groups of four teams playing in a league format.[1] Matches will be played in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.[4]
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to the third round | — | ||||
| 2 | A2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||||
| 3 | A3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||||
| 4 | A4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to the third round | — | ||||
| 2 | B2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||||
| 3 | B3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |||||
| 4 | B4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Third round
The third round is expected to take place March 2025.[1] The winner will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the runner-up will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.[2]
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| March 2025 | ||||||
| Winner Group A | ||||||
| March 2025 | ||||||
| Runner-up Group B | ||||||
| Winner Semi-final 1 | ||||||
| March 2025 | ||||||
| Winner Semi-final 2 | ||||||
| Winner Group B | ||||||
| Runner-up Group A | ||||||
Semi-finals
| Winner Group A | v | Runner-up Group B |
|---|---|---|
| Winner Group B | v | Runner-up Group A |
|---|---|---|
Final
The winner qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The runner-up advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.
| v | ||
|---|---|---|
Inter-confederation play-offs
The runner up team will join one team each from AFC, CAF, and CONMEBOL and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men's World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "FIFA Headquarters to host OFC preliminary draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026". Oceania Football Confederation. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Road to the FIFA World Cup 26 set to begin". FIFA. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "FIFA Men's Ranking – July 2024". FIFA. 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b "OFC Competition Calendars Confirmed for 2024". Oceania Football Confederation. December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2023.