An overview of the teams that have qualified through the World Cup playoffs

18

After 42 teams were confirmed for the FIFA World Cup last year and the draw was held in late 2025, six spots remained open, two in the global playoffs and four in the European playoffs. Now, following the latest FIFA match window, the final countries to qualify for the world’s biggest tournament have been determined. There were several historic qualifiers in games full of excitement. In addition, several surprises emerged, making these achievements even more significant.

Here, you’ll see in detail how each of the six countries qualified for the World Cup and also look at their path in the tournament. This way, you can get a better understanding of the competition landscape to place bets on platforms like 1xBet online. One thing is already clear: almost none of these teams will have an easy time at the World Cup.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo had a tough road to qualifying for the World Cup. After finishing second in its group in the African qualifiers, the team had to face the continental playoffs and defeated two of Africa’s biggest powerhouses to advance to the World Cup playoffs: Cameroon and Nigeria.

In the playoffs, the country competed for a spot against Jamaica, which had eliminated New Caledonia in the previous round. Despite being the favorite, the match was far from easy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Two goals were disallowed in regulation time, and after a 0-0 draw, the game went into extra time. In a thrilling finish, the team managed to score a goal, winning 1-0 and qualifying for the World Cup.

This is only the second time the country will compete in the tournament. The first was 52 years ago, in 1974. At the time, the country was still called Zaire. Now, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will face Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan in the group stage.

Iraq

Iraq was the second country to secure a spot through the World Cup playoffs. The team faced Bolivia, which was the favorite to win the match and had eliminated Suriname in the semifinals. This was another thrilling game, in which the Asian nation won 2-1.

Naturally, the streets of Iraq erupted in celebration, as qualifying is already a historic achievement. This will be the country’s second World Cup appearance, the first having been in 1986. In the group stage, the team will face France, Norway, and Senegal in what is considered the toughest group of the tournament.

Sweden

Sweden qualified in the best match of the European playoffs final round. The team struggled to reach this stage, having had a very poor qualifying campaign and qualifying for the playoffs only thanks to their performance in the Nations League. In the decisive match, the team faced Poland and took the lead twice, but conceded an equalizer shortly after. At the end of the match, star player Gyokeres scored the goal that qualified the Swedes for the World Cup. Now, the team will face a very difficult group, featuring the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.

Bosnia

Anyone who made the 1xBet apk download would have seen that the odds for Bosnia to qualify from its group were very high, indicating a low probability of qualification. As a result, the country was responsible for the biggest surprise of the World Cup playoffs. In the semifinal against Wales, the team was no longer the favorite and advanced on penalty kicks. The decisive match was against Italy, which was the heavy favorite to advance, given its rich tradition and four World Cup titles.

The Italian team took the lead early on, but conceded an equalizer to Bosnia after having a player sent off. The match went through all of extra time without any goals, and in the penalty shootout, Bosnia made history and knocked Italy out of the World Cup once again, the third consecutive in which the Italians have been eliminated. Now, Bosnia faces a relatively easy group, featuring Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland. It’s worth noting that this will be the country’s second World Cup appearance, with the first having been in 2014.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic was also an underdog in the decisive match to qualify for the World Cup. Despite playing at home, Denmark was the favorite to advance. The Czechs opened the scoring early in the game but conceded an equalizer late on. In extra time, the team scored another goal, but conceded another equalizer. In the penalty shootout, the Czechs won and qualified for the World Cup to face South Korea, South Africa, and Mexico in the group stage.

Turkey

Turkey was the heavy favorite to qualify in the decisive match against Kosovo and lived up to expectations by dominating the entire game, although the final score was only 1-0. Now, they will face Paraguay, Australia, and the United States in the World Cup group stage.

Playoff qualifiers have little chance

Naturally, the playoff qualifiers are considered to have virtually no chance of winning the title. Check out how bookmakers assess their chances based on the odds:

• Turkey – 100.0
• Sweden – 150.0
• Bosnia – 250.0
• Czech Republic – 300.0
• Iraq – 1500.0
• DR Congo – 1500.0

World Cup groups are now set

With the last six qualifying countries, the World Cup groups are now fully set: