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User:Bmf 051/sandbox/2024–25 FIFA Nations League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The FIFA Nations League is an idea for a new international tournament, and a new format for World Cup qualifying. The idea is to: 1) Introduce a new "Nations League" tournament, based on the home-and-away model, to compliment the neutral venue format of the FIFA World Cup; 2) Add more competitive, evenly-matched matches for all FIFA members; 3) Give smaller countries a path (albeit a difficult one) to the World Cup; 4) Make FIFA World Cup qualifying more merit-based (Note: this is not mutually exclusive from #3); 5) Give all countries a suitably long World Cup qualifying campaign, instead of only guaranteeing that for larger countries; 6) Give all countries a realistic opportunity to win an international tournament; 7) Create a simpler ranking system, in the sense that teams are ranked and seeded solely based on performance in the previous Nations League/World Cup cycle, rather than using the current FIFA ranking system that is arbitrary and has been subject to nearly constant modification.

The Nations League splits FIFA members into 5 leagues based on the August 2021 FIFA rankings (the only time the FIFA rankings are used in this model), which will then uses a promotion-relegation system to transfer teams between leagues each season based on their performance. Generally speaking, the leagues were initially split based on the rankings as follows: teams ranked 1–48 in League 1; 49–96 in League 2; 97 to 144 in League 3; 145–188 in League 4; and 188 and lower in League 5. Leagues 1 to 4 are split into 8 groups of six (or in some instances, 5 or 7) teams. League 5 is comprised of only 4 groups. Each group contains teams from one of four "regions". The number of groups from each region in a particular league varies, based on the relative strength of the region. In order to give all countries a path to higher leagues while maintaining competitive balance between groups in the same league, some regions contain teams from multiple confederations: the Americas region consists of teams from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF while the Asian-Pacific region consists of teams from the AFC and OFC. On the other hand, the European region features only teams from UEFA, while African region teams only come from CAF. The general path to the World Cup for all teams consists of: 1) Competing in a group stage against teams from the same region and of a similar caliber; 2) Direct qualification to the World Cup for the best teams in the higher leagues; 3) A series of play-off rounds for lower ranked teams from higher leagues and higher ranked teams from lower leagues, with the higher league teams entering the play-offs at later rounds.

Below is a simulation of one Nations League season and World Cup cycle, using the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It is a psuedo-random simulation, using the World Football Elo Ratings as the basis for its probability model.

Group stage

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League 1

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League 1 consists of eight groups: 1 group made-up of African (CAF) teams, 2 groups of teams from the Americas (CONCACAF/CONMEBOL), 1 group of Asian-Pacific teams (AFC/OFC), and 4 groups of European teams (UEFA). The winners of each group advance to the League 1 Finals. The top 3 teams in each group qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while teams finishing 4th–6th qualify for the World Cup play-offs.

Group 1A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Morocco Algeria Senegal Tunisia Nigeria Egypt
1  Morocco 10 5 3 2 15 11 +4 18 League 1 Finals and World Cup 2–0 0–1 0–0 2–2 2–1
2  Algeria 10 5 3 2 15 12 +3 18 World Cup 1–3 4–3 1–0 4–1 0–0
3  Senegal 10 3 4 3 12 15 −3 13 1–1 0–0 0–5 0–2 2–2
4  Tunisia 10 3 3 4 12 9 +3 12 Third play-off round 1–2 0–1 0–0 1–1 3–1
5  Nigeria 10 2 4 4 13 20 −7 10 Relegation to League 2 and Second play-off round 3–1 2–2 1–3 1–2 0–5
6  Egypt 10 2 3 5 13 13 0 9 1–2 1–2 0–2 2–0 0–0
Source: FIFA

Group 1B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Uruguay Brazil Mexico Paraguay Jamaica Chile
1  Uruguay 10 6 2 2 14 7 +7 20 League 1 Finals and World Cup 0–0 5–1 1–0 2–1 0–1
2  Brazil 10 5 4 1 18 3 +15 19 World Cup 1–2 0–0 2–0 0–0 6–1
3  Mexico[a] 10 4 3 3 15 11 +4 15 2–1 0–0 4–1 6–0 1–0
4  Paraguay 10 4 0 6 11 17 −6 12 Third play-off round 0–1 0–5 2–0 2–0 3–1
5  Jamaica 10 2 3 5 4 14 −10 9 Second play-off round 0–0 0–2 1–0 0–1 2–1
6  Chile 10 2 2 6 9 19 −10 8 Relegation play-offs and Second play-off round 1–2 0–2 1–1 3–2 0–0
Source: FIFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Mexico have qualified for the 2026 World Cup as hosts.

Group 1C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Colombia Argentina Peru United States Venezuela Costa Rica
1  Colombia 10 8 2 0 19 5 +14 26 League 1 Finals and World Cup 2–1 4–3 1–1 3–0 4–0
2  Argentina 10 6 0 4 16 10 +6 18 World Cup 0–1 0–1 4–1 2–0 3–0
3  Peru 10 4 2 4 20 13 +7 14 0–0 0–1 2–1 5–0 4–0
4  United States[a] 10 3 3 4 16 18 −2 12 0–2 2–3 2–1 4–1 2–2
5  Venezuela 10 2 2 6 11 22 −11 8 Second play-off round 0–1 3–1 3–3 0–1 3–1
6  Costa Rica 10 1 3 6 8 22 −14 6 Relegation play-offs and Second play-off round 0–1 0–1 2–1 2–2 1–1
Source: FIFA
Notes:
  1. ^ The United States have qualified for the 2026 World Cup as hosts. As a result, the third play-off round berth earned by the fourth-placed team of group 1C was vacated and the entrance round of other play-off qualifiers was adjusted accordingly.

Group 1D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Australia Japan Iran South Korea Qatar Saudi Arabia
1  Australia 10 5 4 1 12 6 +6 19 League 1 Finals and World Cup 1–2 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–2
2  Japan 10 5 3 2 17 9 +8 18 World Cup 0–2 0–0 3–1 4–0 4–0
3  Iran 10 3 5 2 12 7 +5 14 0–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 5–0
4  South Korea 10 3 4 3 13 14 −1 13 Third play-off round 0–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 4–0
5  Qatar 10 3 1 6 13 19 −6 10 Relegation to League 2 and Second play-off round 0–2 2–3 2–2 1–2 2–1
6  Saudi Arabia 10 1 3 6 8 20 −12 6 1–1 0–0 0–1 4–0 0–1
Source: FIFA

Group 1E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification France Portugal Wales Czech Republic Croatia Romania
1  France 10 8 2 0 26 8 +18 26 League 1 Finals and World Cup 3–3 2–0 2–0 4–0 4–1
2  Portugal 10 5 2 3 29 17 +12 17 World Cup 1–3 6–1 4–1 5–1 4–1
3  Wales 10 4 2 4 16 15 +1 14 1–1 2–1 4–2 0–1 6–0
4  Czech Republic 10 4 1 5 10 15 −5 13 Third play-off round 1–2 3–2 0–0 1–0 1–0
5  Croatia 10 3 2 5 8 18 −10 11 Second play-off round 0–3 2–2 1–0 0–1 2–1
6  Romania 10 1 1 8 7 23 −16 4 Relegation play-offs and Second play-off round 1–2 0–1 1–2 1–0 1–1
Source: FIFA

Group 1F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Spain Switzerland England Poland Slovakia Turkey
1  Spain 10 7 2 1 24 13 +11 23 League 1 Finals and World Cup 3–2 2–0 2–3 2–0 7–4
2   Switzerland 10 7 1 2 22 7 +15 22 World Cup 0–0 6–0 2–0 3–0 2–0
3  England 10 7 0 3 25 15 +10 21 1–2 3–0 3–1 3–1 7–3
4  Poland 10 4 1 5 12 15 −3 13 Third play-off round 1–2 0–1 0–3 2–1 3–0
5  Slovakia 10 1 1 8 6 20 −14 4 Second play-off round 0–2 1–2 0–3 0–1 0–0
6  Turkey 10 0 3 7 12 31 −19 3 Relegation play-offs and Second play-off round 2–2 0–4 0–2 1–1 2–3
Source: FIFA

Group 1G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium Netherlands Serbia Sweden Ukraine Norway
1  Belgium 10 7 2 1 27 6 +21 23 League 1 Finals and World Cup 1–1 4–0 7–1 4–0 4–0
2  Netherlands 10 4 5 1 17 10 +7 17 World Cup 2–2 1–3 1–1 4–1 3–0
3  Serbia 10 5 1 4 14 15 −1 16 0–1 0–2 2–1 2–1 3–0
4  Sweden 10 4 3 3 16 17 −1 15 Third play-off round 0–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 1–0
5  Ukraine 10 4 0 6 15 22 −7 12 Second play-off round 2–1 0–1 4–2 0–2 2–0
6  Norway 10 0 1 9 4 23 −19 1 Relegation play-offs and Second play-off round 0–2 0–0 0–1 2–3 2–4
Source: FIFA

Group 1H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Italy Denmark Germany Austria Hungary Russia
1  Italy 10 9 1 0 20 4 +16 28 League 1 Finals and World Cup 2–1 2–1 1–0 2–1 5–0
2  Denmark 10 5 2 3 16 8 +8 17 World Cup 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–0 1–0
3  Germany 10 5 2 3 13 10 +3 17 0–2 0–4 3–0 2–0 1–0
4  Austria 10 3 3 4 8 12 −4 12 Third play-off round 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–1
5  Hungary 10 2 1 7 8 14 −6 7 Second play-off round 0–2 0–2 0–1 1–1 4–0
6  Russia 10 1 1 8 4 21 −17 4 Relegation play-offs and Second play-off round 0–0 1–3 0–3 2–0 0–2
Source: FIFA

Ranking of League 1 group winners

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The eight League 1 group winners will advance to the League 1 Finals. The top 4 teams will be seeded and the bottom 4 will be unseeded. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team for the quarter-finals, with the seeded team hosting the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 1H  Italy 10 9 1 0 20 4 +16 28 Seeded for League 1 Finals
2 1E  France 10 8 2 0 26 8 +18 26
3 1C  Colombia 10 8 2 0 19 5 +14 26
4 1G  Belgium 10 7 2 1 27 6 +21 23
5 1F  Spain 10 7 2 1 24 13 +11 23 Unseeded for League 1 Finals
6 1B  Uruguay 10 6 2 2 14 7 +7 20
7 1D  Australia 10 5 4 1 12 6 +6 19
8 1A  Morocco 10 5 3 2 15 11 +4 18
Source: FIFA

Rankings for League 1 relegation play-offs

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The sixth-placed teams in the two Americas groups (Groups B and C) will play a relegation play-off with the losers being relegated to League 2. The team with the better group record will be seeded and will host the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 1B  Chile 10 2 2 6 9 19 −10 8 Seeded for relegation play-off
2 1C  Costa Rica 10 1 3 6 8 22 −14 6 Unseeded for relegation play-off
Source: FIFA

The 4 sixth-placed teams from the European groups (Groups E–H) will be drawn into two relegation play-off semi-finals with the loser being relegated to League 2. The winners of the semi-finals advance to the relegation play-off final with the loser also being relegated to League 2. The top 2 teams will be seeded and the bottom 2 will be unseeded. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team in the semi-finals, with the seeded team hosting the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 1E  Romania 10 1 1 8 7 23 −16 4 Seeded for relegation play-offs
2 1H  Russia 10 1 1 8 4 21 −17 4
3 1F  Turkey 10 0 3 7 12 31 −19 3 Unseeded for relegation play-offs
4 1G  Norway 10 0 1 9 4 23 −19 1
Source: FIFA

League 2

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League 2 consists of eight groups: 2 groups made-up of African (CAF) teams, 1 group of teams from the Americas (CONCACAF/CONMEBOL), 2 groups of Asian-Pacific teams (AFC/OFC), and 3 groups of European teams (UEFA). The winners of each group advance to the League 2 Finals and qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the group runners-up qualify for the World Cup play-offs.

Group 2A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification South Africa Ghana Democratic Republic of the Congo Gabon Uganda Mali
1  South Africa 10 5 3 2 18 8 +10 18 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 1–2 3–0 5–0 3–1 3–1
2  Ghana 10 5 2 3 17 11 +6 17 Third play-off round 2–0 3–0 2–3 3–2 1–1
3  DR Congo 10 4 4 2 19 13 +6 16 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–3
4  Gabon 10 4 0 6 13 24 −11 12 0–1 0–3 0–5 3–1 4–1
5  Uganda 10 3 2 5 14 17 −3 11 Relegation to League 3 1–1 1–0 0–2 3–1 4–1
6  Mali 10 2 3 5 13 21 −8 9 0–0 2–0 1–4 1–2 2–0
Source: FIFA

Group 2B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Ivory Coast Cameroon Guinea Cape Verde Benin Burkina Faso
1  Ivory Coast 10 6 1 3 12 13 −1 19 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 1–2 2–1 0–0 1–5 2–1
2  Cameroon 10 5 1 4 15 13 +2 16 Third play-off round 0–1 1–0 6–0 0–3 0–6
3  Guinea 10 4 2 4 17 17 0 14 4–1 1–0 1–0 3–2 1–1
4  Cape Verde 10 4 1 5 9 15 −6 13 0–1 0–4 2–1 2–1 3–0
5  Benin 10 4 0 6 19 16 +3 12 Relegation to League 3 0–2 1–2 5–2 1–0 0–2
6  Burkina Faso 10 3 3 4 15 13 +2 12 0–1 0–0 3–3 0–2 2–1
Source: FIFA

Group 2C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Canada Ecuador Honduras Panama Curaçao El Salvador
1  Canada[a] 10 6 3 1 23 9 +14 21 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 2–2 1–1 4–0 4–1 2–1
2  Ecuador 10 5 5 0 18 8 +10 20 Third play-off round 2–1 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–2
3  Honduras 10 3 5 2 13 13 0 14 0–0 1–1 0–0 2–0 5–1
4  Panama 10 2 4 4 7 15 −8 10 0–4 0–0 1–1 2–2 3–0
5  Curaçao 10 2 2 6 12 18 −6 8 1–3 1–1 1–2 0–1 1–0
6  El Salvador 10 2 1 7 11 21 −10 7 Relegation to League 3 1–2 0–0 4–1 2–0 0–4
Source: FIFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Canada have qualified for the 2026 World Cup as hosts.

Group 2D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Vietnam United Arab Emirates Syria Lebanon Kyrgyzstan Oman
1  Vietnam 10 5 1 4 16 13 +3 16 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 3–2 2–0 3–2 1–3 3–1
2  United Arab Emirates 10 4 2 4 18 16 +2 14 Second play-off round 1–0 4–0 0–1 2–1 5–3
3  Syria 10 4 2 4 17 19 −2 14 2–1 3–1 3–1 2–0 2–2
4  Lebanon 10 4 2 4 13 15 −2 14 1–0 1–1 3–3 2–1 2–1
5  Kyrgyzstan 10 4 1 5 14 14 0 13 0–2 3–1 3–1 2–0 1–1
6  Oman 10 3 4 3 15 16 −1 13 Relegation to League 3 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–0
Source: FIFA

Group 2E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification China Jordan Uzbekistan Iraq State of Palestine Bahrain
1  China 10 5 3 2 13 11 +2 18 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 1–4
2  Jordan 10 5 2 3 21 14 +7 17 Third play-off round 3–1 3–0 1–0 2–2 5–1
3  Uzbekistan 10 4 3 3 8 9 −1 15 1–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 2–0
4  Iraq 10 3 3 4 13 12 +1 12 2–2 4–2 0–1 2–2 2–0
5  Palestine 10 2 4 4 14 16 −2 10 0–1 1–2 1–2 0–0 4–3
6  Bahrain 10 3 1 6 15 22 −7 10 Relegation to League 3 0–0 3–2 2–0 1–3 1–3
Source: FIFA

Group 2F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Scotland Iceland Georgia (country) Belarus Bulgaria Montenegro
1  Scotland 10 5 4 1 16 5 +11 19 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 4–1 5–1 2–0 2–0 1–0
2  Iceland 10 4 5 1 10 9 +1 17 Third play-off round 1–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 0–0
3  Georgia 10 4 2 4 14 12 +2 14 0–0 0–1 2–1 1–0 1–2
4  Belarus 10 3 2 5 17 16 +1 11 1–1 2–3 2–1 1–3 4–1
5  Bulgaria 10 3 2 5 9 14 −5 11 1–1 1–2 1–4 1–0 0–3
6  Montenegro 10 2 3 5 8 18 −10 9 Relegation play-offs 0–0 1–1 0–4 0–4 1–3
Source: FIFA

Group 2G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Greece Bosnia and Herzegovina Armenia Finland Albania Luxembourg
1  Greece 10 9 1 0 21 6 +15 28 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 2–0 3–2 1–0 1–1 4–0
2  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 6 1 3 17 11 +6 19 Third play-off round 1–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–0
3  Armenia 10 5 0 5 20 18 +2 15 0–2 2–1 1–0 6–1 3–4
4  Finland 10 3 1 6 18 13 +5 10 1–2 1–1 2–3 4–1 4–0
5  Albania 10 2 2 6 10 20 −10 8 0–1 0–4 3–0 2–0 0–0
6  Luxembourg 10 2 1 7 8 26 −18 7 Relegation play-offs 1–3 1–2 0–2 0–5 2–1
Source: FIFA

Group 2H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Israel Republic of Ireland Cyprus North Macedonia Northern Ireland Slovenia
1  Israel 10 5 1 4 19 12 +7 16 Promotion to League 1, League 2 Finals, and World Cup 2–0 2–4 3–2 1–2 1–2
2  Republic of Ireland 10 5 1 4 16 14 +2 16 Third play-off round 1–4 3–0 4–1 2–3 2–1
3  Cyprus 10 5 1 4 15 18 −3 16 1–0 2–0 3–4 1–4 2–1
4  North Macedonia 10 4 3 3 15 18 −3 15 0–5 0–0 3–0 1–1 1–1
5  Northern Ireland 10 4 1 5 13 12 +1 13 0–1 0–2 1–2 0–1 2–0
6  Slovenia 10 2 3 5 8 12 −4 9 Relegation play-offs 0–0 1–2 0–0 1–2 1–0
Source: FIFA

Ranking of League 2 group winners

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The eight League 2 group winners will advance to the League 2 Finals. The top 4 teams will be seeded and the bottom 4 will be unseeded. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team for the quarter-finals, with the seeded team hosting the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 2G  Greece 10 9 1 0 21 6 +15 28 Seeded for League 2 Finals
2 2C  Canada 10 6 3 1 23 9 +14 21
3 2F  Scotland 10 5 4 1 16 5 +11 19
4 2B  Ivory Coast 10 6 1 3 12 13 −1 19
5 2A  South Africa 10 5 3 2 18 8 +10 18 Unseeded for League 2 Finals
6 2E  China 10 5 3 2 13 11 +2 18
7 2H  Israel 10 5 1 4 19 12 +7 16
8 2D  Vietnam 10 5 1 4 16 13 +3 16
Source: FIFA

Ranking of League 2 group runners-up

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The eight League 2 group runners-up will advance to the World Cup play-offs. The top 7 runners-up will enter the third play-off round while the remaining runners-up will enter the second play-off round.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 2C  Ecuador 10 5 5 0 18 8 +10 20 Third play-off round
2 2G  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 6 1 3 17 11 +6 19
3 2E  Jordan 10 5 2 3 21 14 +7 17
4 2A  Ghana 10 5 2 3 17 11 +6 17
5 2F  Iceland 10 4 5 1 10 9 +1 17
6 2H  Republic of Ireland 10 5 1 4 16 14 +2 16
7 2B  Cameroon 10 5 1 4 15 13 +2 16
8 2D  United Arab Emirates 10 4 2 4 18 16 +2 14 Second play-off round
Source: FIFA

Ranking for League 2 relegation play-offs

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The 3 sixth-placed teams from the European groups (Groups F–H) will conduct a relegation play-off to decide which team is relegated to League 3. The teams will be seeded 1–3 based on their group records. The #1 seed will play the #2 seed in a relegation semi-final with the #1 seed hosting the second leg. The losers will play the #3 seed in the relegation play-off final with the #3 seed hosting the second leg. The losers of the final will be relegated to League 3.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 2H  Slovenia 10 2 3 5 8 12 −4 9 Relegation play-off semi-final (2nd leg at home)
2 2F  Montenegro 10 2 3 5 8 18 −10 9 Relegation play-off semi-final (1st leg at home)
3 2G  Luxembourg 10 2 1 7 8 26 −18 7 Relegation play-off final (2nd leg at home)
Source: FIFA

League 3

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League 3 consists of eight groups: 4 groups made-up of African (CAF) teams, 1 group of teams from the Americas (CONCACAF/CONMEBOL), 2 groups of Asian-Pacific teams (AFC/OFC), and 1 group of European teams (UEFA). The winners of each group advance to the League 3 Finals and qualify for the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

Group 3A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Sudan Mauritania Kenya Guinea-Bissau Rwanda Burundi
1  Sudan 10 5 5 0 17 5 +12 20 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second play-off round 4–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 3–0
2  Mauritania 10 5 3 2 11 14 −3 18 1–1 3–3 1–0 1–0 2–1
3  Kenya 10 4 5 1 19 12 +7 17 2–2 0–1 2–1 1–1 3–0
4  Guinea-Bissau 10 3 4 3 17 11 +6 13 0–0 4–0 2–2 1–1 4–1
5  Rwanda 10 2 5 3 11 15 −4 11 0–2 0–0 1–4 1–1 3–2
6  Burundi 10 0 0 10 9 27 −18 0 Relegation play-offs 0–2 1–2 1–2 1–3 2–3
Source: FIFA

Group 3B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Central African Republic Sierra Leone Malawi Zambia Lesotho Equatorial Guinea
1  Central African Republic 10 7 1 2 19 15 +4 22 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second play-off round 2–1 1–3 2–1 2–1 2–1
2  Sierra Leone 10 6 2 2 20 10 +10 20 2–1 3–0 1–1 4–2 2–1
3  Malawi 10 5 3 2 14 10 +4 18 1–1 2–0 0–0 2–0 2–1
4  Zambia 10 3 2 5 12 19 −7 11 2–3 0–5 2–0 1–6 2–0
5  Lesotho 10 2 1 7 15 17 −2 7 1–2 0–1 2–2 2–0 0–1
6  Equatorial Guinea 10 2 1 7 9 18 −9 7 Relegation play-offs 2–3 1–1 0–2 0–3 2–1
Source: FIFA

Group 3C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Madagascar Namibia Togo Tanzania Angola Niger
1  Madagascar 10 7 1 2 16 8 +8 22 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second play-off round 2–1 2–1 0–1 0–0 2–0
2  Namibia 10 5 2 3 19 11 +8 17 1–2 2–2 10 5–0 2–1
3  Togo 10 5 1 4 13 12 +1 16 1–0 0–2 2–1 4–0 1–0
4  Tanzania 10 4 3 3 11 9 +2 15 1–2 0–0 2–0 2–1 0–0
5  Angola 10 3 2 5 13 19 −6 11 1–2 2–1 3–0 0–0 5–2
6  Niger 10 1 1 8 9 22 −13 4 Relegation play-offs 1–4 1–2 0–2 1–3 3–1
Source: FIFA

Group 3D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Republic of the Congo Zimbabwe Libya Mozambique Ethiopia Comoros
1  Congo 10 6 1 3 18 12 +6 19 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second play-off round 2–0 1–3 1–1 3–0 2–0
2  Zimbabwe 10 5 3 2 14 7 +7 18 2–1 1–1 0–0 6–0 1–1
3  Libya 10 5 2 3 14 9 +5 17 3–1 0–1 2–2 1–0 2–0
4  Mozambique 10 4 4 2 18 10 +8 16 1–2 1–0 1–2 3–1 1–1
5  Ethiopia 10 3 0 7 6 21 −15 9 1–3 0–1 1–0 0–4 2–0
6  Comoros 10 1 2 7 6 17 −11 5 Relegation play-offs 1–2 1–2 1–0 1–4 0–1
Source: FIFA

Group 3E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Bolivia Haiti Trinidad and Tobago Guatemala Saint Kitts and Nevis Antigua and Barbuda
1  Bolivia 10 10 0 0 30 5 +25 30 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second qualifying round 3–1 2–1 2–1 4–0 4–1
2  Haiti 10 6 0 4 19 21 −2 18 0–4 3–2 4–0 2–0 3–0
3  Trinidad and Tobago 10 5 0 5 23 16 +7 15 0–2 7–1 3–1 2–3 4–1
4  Guatemala 10 4 1 5 17 17 0 13 0–2 4–1 0–1 4–1 2–0
5  Saint Kitts and Nevis 10 3 1 6 15 24 −9 10 Relegation to League 4 1–3 1–2 3–1 1–3 3–1
6  Antigua and Barbuda 10 0 2 8 7 28 −21 2 0–4 0–2 0–2 2–2 2–2
Source: FIFA

Group 3F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification New Zealand Thailand North Korea Hong Kong Turkmenistan Myanmar
1  New Zealand 10 9 0 1 27 5 +22 27 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second qualifying round 4–1 2–1 4–0 1–0 3–0
2  Thailand 10 6 1 3 19 9 +10 19 0–2 1–1 3–0 1–0 2–0
3  North Korea 10 4 3 3 21 13 +8 15 1–2 0–5 1–1 1–1 6–0
4  Hong Kong 10 3 3 4 8 16 −8 12 0–6 1–0 1–2 0–0 0–0
5  Turkmenistan 10 3 2 5 10 13 −3 11 Relegation play-offs 2–0 0–2 0–2 0–4 6–2
6  Myanmar 10 0 1 9 3 32 −29 1 Relegation to League 4 0–3 1–4 0–6 0–1 0–1
Source: FIFA

Group 3G

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Kuwait India Solomon Islands Tajikistan Philippines Chinese Taipei
1  Kuwait 10 6 3 1 19 8 +11 21 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second qualifying round 2–2 0–0 2–0 2–1 3–0
2  India 10 4 3 3 13 12 +1 15 2–0 0–2 2–1 1–3 0–2
3  Solomon Islands 10 4 3 3 11 13 −2 15 0–4 0–3 0–2 1–0 3–0
4  Tajikistan 10 4 2 4 15 12 +3 14 2–2 1–1 1–2 1–2 2–0
5  Philippines 10 3 2 5 12 14 −2 11 Relegation play-offs 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 0–1
6  Chinese Taipei 10 2 1 7 7 18 −11 7 Relegation to League 4 1–2 0–1 2–2 0–2 1–3
Source: FIFA

Group 3H

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Azerbaijan Kosovo Estonia Lithuania Faroe Islands Kazakhstan
1  Azerbaijan 10 6 1 3 18 15 +3 19 Promotion to League 2, League 3 Finals, and second qualifying round 2–0 1–0 3–0 2–1 3–1
2  Kosovo 10 5 3 2 14 10 +4 18 3–1 0–0 3–0 1–1 1–0
3  Estonia 10 5 1 4 14 7 +7 16 5–1 1–2 2–0 1–0 0–1
4  Lithuania 10 4 1 5 14 19 −5 13 2–0 4–1 2–0 2–1 2–2
5  Faroe Islands 10 3 2 5 17 18 −1 11 3–3 0–2 0–4 4–1 4–2
6  Kazakhstan 10 2 2 6 10 18 −8 8 Relegation to League 4 0–2 1–1 0–1 3–1 0–3
Source: FIFA

Ranking of League 3 group winners

[edit]

The eight League 3 group winners will advance to the League 3 Finals. The top 4 teams will be seeded and the bottom 4 will be unseeded. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team for the quarter-finals, with the seeded team hosting the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 3E  Bolivia 10 10 0 0 30 5 +25 30 Seeded for League 3 Finals
2 3F  New Zealand 10 9 0 1 27 5 +22 27
3 3C  Madagascar 10 7 1 2 16 8 +8 22
4 3B  Central African Republic 10 7 1 2 19 15 +4 22
5 3G  Kuwait 10 6 3 1 19 8 +11 21 Unseeded for League 3 Finals
6 3A  Sudan 10 5 5 0 17 5 +12 20
7 3D  Congo 10 6 1 3 18 12 +6 19
8 3H  Azerbaijan 10 6 1 3 18 15 +3 19
Source: FIFA

Rankings for League 3 relegation play-offs

[edit]

The 4 sixth-placed teams from the African groups (Groups A–D) will be drawn into two relegation play-offs with the losers being relegated to League 4. The top 2 teams will be seeded and the bottom 2 will be unseeded. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the seeded team hosting the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 3B  Equatorial Guinea 10 2 1 7 9 18 −9 7 Seeded for relegation play-offs
2 3D  Comoros 10 1 2 7 6 17 −11 5
3 3C  Niger 10 1 1 8 9 22 −13 4 Unseeded for relegation play-offs
4 3A  Burundi 10 0 0 10 9 27 −18 0
Source: FIFA

The fifth-placed teams in the two Asian-Pacific groups (Groups F and G) will play a relegation play-off with the losers being relegated to League 4. The team with the better group record will be seeded and will host the second leg.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 3G  Philippines 10 3 2 5 12 14 −2 11 Seeded for relegation play-off
2 3F  Turkmenistan 10 3 2 5 10 13 −3 11 Unseeded for relegation play-off
Source: FIFA

League 4

[edit]

League 4 consists of eight groups: 2 groups made-up of African (CAF) teams, 2 groups of teams from the Americas (CONCACAF/CONMEBOL), 3 groups of Asian-Pacific teams (AFC/OFC), and 1 group of European teams (UEFA). The winners of each group advance to the League 4 Finals and qualify for the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

Group 4A

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification The Gambia Botswana South Sudan Seychelles Somalia Djibouti
1  Gambia 10 7 2 1 21 7 +14 23 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and first play-off round 3–3 2–1 2–0 5–0 2–0
2  Botswana 10 7 1 2 22 13 +9 22 2–1 0–2 2–1 4–0 4–1
3  South Sudan 10 5 2 3 16 9 +7 17 0–3 3–0 2–0 2–0 1–1
4  Seychelles 10 2 3 5 7 12 −5 9 0–1 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–0
5  Somalia 10 2 2 6 6 21 −15 8 1–2 1–3 1–4 1–1 1–0
6  Djibouti 10 1 2 7 4 14 −10 5 0–0 0–2 1–0 1–2 0–1
Source: FIFA

Group 4B

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Liberia São Tomé and Príncipe Eswatini Chad Eritrea Mauritius
1  Liberia 10 5 2 3 18 15 +3 17 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and first play-off round 1–2 0–3 1–1 0–5 8–1
2  São Tomé and Príncipe 10 5 2 3 11 10 +1 17 0–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–1
3  Eswatini 10 4 3 3 16 10 +6 15 2–3 2–0 0–1 1–2 4–1
4  Chad 10 2 8 0 10 7 +3 14 1–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 1–1
5  Eritrea 10 3 3 4 13 9 +4 12 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 2–0
6  Mauritius 10 0 4 6 8 25 −17 4 0–2 0–2 2–2 1–1 1–1
Source: FIFA

Group 4C

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Bermuda Guyana Barbados Belize Nicaragua
1  Bermuda 8 6 1 1 16 5 +11 19 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and first play-off round 0–1 0–0 2–0 4–0
2  Guyana 8 5 0 3 9 13 −4 15 0–2 0–4 2–1 1–4
3  Barbados 8 3 2 3 12 10 +2 11 1–2 1–2 1–0 4–3
4  Belize 8 2 1 5 8 9 −1 7 0–2 0–1 1–1 5–0
5  Nicaragua 8 2 0 6 13 21 −8 6 Relegation to League 5 3–4 1–2 2–0 0–1
Source: FIFA

Group 4D

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Suriname Grenada Dominican Republic Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Puerto Rico
1  Suriname 8 6 0 2 21 10 +11 18 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and first play-off round 7–1 1–0 2–1 4–0
2  Grenada 8 4 1 3 19 20 −1 13 5–1 3–1 0–3 4–2
3  Dominican Republic 8 3 1 4 9 11 −2 10 0–2 2–1 2–0 1–2
4  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8 2 2 4 13 16 −3 8 3–0 4–4 1–3 0–4
5  Puerto Rico 8 2 2 4 9 14 −5 8 Relegation to League 5 0–3 0–1 0–0 1–1
Source: FIFA

Group 4E

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Malaysia French Polynesia Fiji Nepal Cambodia
1  Malaysia 8 4 4 0 11 2 +9 16 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and first play-off round 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–0
2  Tahiti 8 3 4 1 13 6 +7 13 0–3 4–0 4–1 3–0
3  Fiji 8 3 3 2 10 6 +4 12 0–0 0–0 3–0 3–0
4    Nepal 8 2 1 5 7 14 −7 7 0–3 2–2 1–0 3–0
5  Cambodia 8 1 2 5 2 15 −13 5 Relegation play-offs 1–1 0–0 0–3 1–0
Source: FIFA

Group 4F

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Singapore Papua New Guinea Maldives Afghanistan Macau
1  Singapore 8 5 0 3 15 7 +8 15 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and first play-off round 2–1 2–0 2–0 6–0
2  Papua New Guinea 8 4 3 1 14 7 +7 15 2–0 1–1 3–1 4–1
3  Maldives 8 4 1 3 6 8 −2 13 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–0
4  Afghanistan 8 3 1 4 11 9 +2 10 3–0 1–1 2–0 2–0
5  Macau 8 1 1 6 5 20 −15 4 Relegation play-offs 0–3 1–1 1–2 2–1
Source: FIFA

Group 4G

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification New Caledonia Yemen Vanuatu Indonesia Mongolia
1  New Caledonia 8 6 1 1 21 4 +17 19 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and second play-off round 1–2 0–0 1–0 7–1
2  Yemen 8 5 0 3 18 14 +4 15 0–4 2–1 3–2 7–0
3  Vanuatu 8 4 2 2 16 9 +7 14 1–2 3–1 2–1 4–0
4  Indonesia 8 3 1 4 13 13 0 10 0–2 2–1 3–3 2–0
5  Mongolia 8 0 0 8 3 31 −28 0 Relegation play-offs 0–4 1–2 0–2 1–3
Source: FIFA

Group 4H

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Malta Latvia Moldova Liechtenstein Andorra Gibraltar San Marino
1  Malta 12 9 2 1 30 8 +22 29 Promotion to League 3, League 4 Finals, and second play-off round 3–0 2–0 4–3 2–1 3–0 3–0
2  Latvia 12 9 1 2 29 9 +20 28 1–0 5–1 2–0 5–0 4–1 3–0
3  Moldova 12 6 2 4 23 19 +4 20 1–7 4–0 0–1 2–1 5–1 3–0
4  Liechtenstein 12 5 2 5 14 16 −2 17 0–2 0–0 0–3 0–0 1–0 5–1
5  Andorra 12 3 4 5 13 17 −4 13 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–1 1–0 5–1
6  Gibraltar 12 3 2 7 14 20 −6 11 1–1 0–3 1–1 4–0 0–1 2–0
7  San Marino 12 0 1 11 4 38 −34 1 0–2 0–4 0–2 0–3 2–2 0–4
Source: FIFA

Ranking of League 4 group winners

[edit]

The eight League 4 group winners will advance to the League 4 Finals and the World Cup play-offs. The bottom 4 teams will be unseeded and will enter the first play-off round. The remaining group winners will be seeded. The third and fourth-best group winners will enter the first play-off round as well while the top 2 will enter the second play-off round. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team for the quarter-finals, with the seeded team hosting the second leg. Due to the uneven number of teams in each group, games against teams ranked sixth or seventh in a group are not counted in this ranking. That is, the following matches weren't counted: Gambia 2–0 Djibouti, Djibouti 0–0 Gambia, Liberia 8–1 Mauritius, Mauritius 0–2 Liberia, Malta 3–0 Gibraltar, Gibraltar 1–1 Malta, Malta 3–0 San Marino, and San Marino 0–2 Malta.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 4G  New Caledonia 8 6 1 1 21 4 +17 19 Second play-off round and seeded for League 4 Finals
2 4H  Malta 8 6 1 1 21 7 +14 19
3 4A  Gambia 8 6 1 1 19 7 +12 19 First play-off round and seeded for League 4 Finals
4 4C  Bermuda 8 6 1 1 16 5 +11 19
5 4D  Suriname 8 6 0 2 21 10 +11 18 First play-off round and unseeded for League 4 Finals
6 4E  Malaysia 8 4 4 0 11 2 +9 16
7 4F  Singapore 8 5 0 3 15 7 +8 15
8 4B  Liberia 8 3 2 3 8 14 −6 11
Source: FIFA

Ranking for League 4 relegation play-offs

[edit]

The 3 fifth-placed teams from the Asian-Pacific groups (Groups E–G) will conduct a relegation play-off to decide which two teams are relegated to League 5. The teams will be seeded 1–3 based on their group records. The #2 seed will play the #3 seed in a relegation semi-final with the #2 seed hosting the second leg. The losers will be relegated. The winners will play the #1 seed in the relegation play-off final with the #1 seed hosting the first leg. The losers of the final will also be relegated to League 5.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 4E  Cambodia 8 1 2 5 2 15 −13 5 Relegation play-off final (1st leg at home)
2 4F  Macau 8 1 1 6 5 20 −15 4 Relegation play-off semi-final (2nd leg at home)
3 4G  Mongolia 8 0 0 8 3 31 −28 0 Relegation play-off semi-final (1st leg at home)
Source: FIFA

League 5

[edit]

League 5 consists of four groups: 2 group of teams from the Americas (CONCACAF/CONMEBOL) and 2 groups of Asian-Pacific teams (AFC/OFC). The winners of each group advance to the League 5 Finals and qualify for the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

Group 5A

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Saint Lucia Aruba Cayman Islands The Bahamas British Virgin Islands Anguilla
1  Saint Lucia 10 6 3 1 31 11 +20 21 Promotion to League 4, League 5 Finals, and first play-off round 2–2 2–2 3–2 5–0 3–0
2  Aruba 10 5 4 1 21 7 +14 19 0–3 5–0 3–1 0–0 0–0
3  Cayman Islands 10 5 4 1 17 9 +8 19 1–1 0–0 3–1 4–0 3–0
4  Bahamas 10 4 1 5 19 16 +3 13 3–2 1–2 0–0 3–1 5–0
5  British Virgin Islands 10 2 1 7 6 26 −20 7 0–5 0–3 0–3 2–0 1–2
6  Anguilla 10 1 1 8 4 29 −25 4 1–5 0–6 0–1 0–3 1–2
Source: FIFA

Group 5B

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Cuba Dominica Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands
1  Cuba 8 6 1 1 21 8 +13 19 Promotion to League 4, League 5 Finals, and first play-off round 1–0 2–0 4–0 8–1
2  Dominica 8 4 3 1 18 3 +15 15 4–0 0–0 0–0 3–0
3  Montserrat 8 4 2 2 14 10 +4 14 2–2 0–3 6–2 3–0
4  Turks and Caicos Islands 8 1 2 5 6 17 −11 5 0–1 2–2 1–2 1–0
5  U.S. Virgin Islands 8 1 0 7 4 25 −21 3 1–3 0–6 0–1 2–0
Source: FIFA

Group 5C

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Pakistan Samoa Brunei Cook Islands Guam Bhutan
1  Pakistan 10 8 0 2 24 7 +17 24 Promotion to League 4, League 5 Finals, and first play-off round 3–1 2–0 4–0 4–0 3–1
2  Samoa 10 5 2 3 14 10 +4 17 0–2 2–0 2–1 4–0 1–0
3  Brunei 10 4 3 3 16 12 +4 15 1–0 1–1 3–5 1–1 6–0
4  Cook Islands 10 3 3 4 12 17 −5 12 2–1 1–1 1–3 1–0 0–0
5  Guam 10 3 1 6 9 17 −8 10 1–3 2–0 1–2 2–0 1–0
6  Bhutan 10 1 3 6 6 18 −12 6 1–2 0–2 0–0 1–1 2–1
Source: FIFA

Group 5D

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Bangladesh Sri Lanka Laos East Timor Tonga American Samoa
1  Bangladesh 10 7 1 2 19 6 +13 22 Promotion to League 4, League 5 Finals, and first play-off round 3–0 1–1 0–1 6–0 2–0
2  Sri Lanka 10 6 1 3 19 16 +3 19 1–3 0–0 2–0 5–1 2–0
3  Laos 10 4 5 1 19 8 +11 17 1–2 5–2 1–1 4–0 0–0
4  East Timor 10 5 2 3 11 9 +2 17 0–1 1–2 1–1 2–1 1–0
5  Tonga 10 3 0 7 12 26 −14 9 2–0 2–3 1–4 1–2 1–0
6  American Samoa 10 0 1 9 1 16 −15 1 0–1 1–2 0–2 0–2 0–3
Source: FIFA

Ranking of League 5 group winners

[edit]

The four League 5 group winners will advance to the League 5 Finals. The top 2 teams will be seeded and the bottom 2 will be unseeded. Each seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team for the semi-finals, with the seeded team hosting the second leg. Due to the uneven number of teams in each group, games against teams ranked sixth in a group are not counted in this ranking. That is, the following matches were not counted: Saint Lucia 3–0 Anguilla, Anguilla 1–5 Saint Lucia, Pakistan 3–1 Bhutan, Bhutan 1–2 Pakistan, Bangladesh 2–0 American Samoa, American Samoa 0–1 Bangladesh.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 5B  Cuba 8 6 1 1 21 8 +13 19 Seeded for League 5 Finals
2 5C  Pakistan 8 6 0 2 19 5 +14 18
3 5D  Bangladesh 8 5 1 2 16 6 +10 16 Unseeded for League 5 Finals
4 5A  Saint Lucia 8 4 3 1 23 10 +13 15
Source: FIFA

Relegation play-offs

[edit]

League 1 (Americas)

[edit]

The two sixth-placed teams from Group 1B and Group 1C will meet in a two-legged tie. The winner remains in League 1 next season and loser is relegated to League 2.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Costa Rica  2–3  Chile 0–0 2–3

Chile remain in League 1. Costa Rica relegated to League 2.

League 1 (Europe)

[edit]

The four sixth-placed teams from groups 1E, 1F, 1G, and 1H will meet in two-legged semi-finals. The losers of each semi-final will be relegated to League 2 next season while the winners will advance to the final. The losers of the final will also be relegated to League 2 while the winners will remain in League 1.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Semi-finals
Turkey  1–4  Russia 1–2 1–2
Norway  6–1  Romania 4–0 2–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Final
Russia  4–1  Norway 1–0 3–1

Russia remain in League 1. Turkey, Romania, and Norway relegated to League 2.

League 2 (Europe)

[edit]

The three sixth-placed teams from groups 2F, 2G, and 2H will meet in a two-legged semi-final and final. Two teams will meet in the semi-final with the winners remaining in League 2 and the losers advancing to the final. The winners of the final will also remain in League 2 while the losers will be relegated to League 3.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Semi-final
Montenegro  0–3  Slovenia 0–0 0–3
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Final
Montenegro  3–2  Luxembourg 2–1 1–1

Slovenia and Montenegro remain in League 2. Luxembourg relegated to League 3.

League 3 (Africa)

[edit]

The four sixth-placed teams from groups 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D will play in separate two-legged ties. The winners of each tie will remain in League 3 next season while the losers will be relegated to League 4.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Niger  5–2  Equatorial Guinea 2–0 3–2
Burundi  4–2  Comoros 2–0 2–2

Niger and Burundi remain in League 3. Equatorial Guinea and Comoros relegated to League 4.

League 3 (Asia-Pacific)

[edit]

The two fifth-placed teams from Group 3F and Group 3G will meet in a two-legged tie. The winner remains in League 3 next season and loser is relegated to League 4.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Turkmenistan  3–2  Philippines 0–1 3–2

Turkmenistan remain in League 3. Philippines relegated to League 4.

League 4 (Asia-Pacific)

[edit]

The three fifth-placed teams from groups 4E, 4F, and 4G will meet in a two-legged semi-final and final. Two teams will meet in the semi-final with the winners advancing to the final and the losers being relegated to League 5. The losers of the final will also be relegated to League 5 while the winners will remain in League 4.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Semi-final
Mongolia  0–2  Macau 0–1 0–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Final
Cambodia  0–1  Macau 0–1 0–0

Macau remain in League 4. Mongolia and Cambodia relegated to League 5.

Finals

[edit]

In each league, the first round (quarter-finals for Leagues 1–4 and semi-finals for League 5) matched each seeded team against an unseeded team, with the unseeded team hosting the first leg and the seeded team hosting the second. The initial draw also determined the seedings and home-field advantage for later rounds.

League 1 Finals

[edit]
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
 Spain 2 1 3
 Belgium (a) 2 1 3
 Belgium 2 2 4
 Italy 0 0 0
 Australia 2 2 4
 Italy 3 5 8
 Belgium 1 1 2
 France 3 1 4
 Morocco 2 0 2
 France 6 4 10
 France 3 4 7 Third place
 Uruguay 1 2 3
 Uruguay 1 2 3  Italy (a) 1 1 3
 Colombia 0 1 1  Uruguay 0 2 3

League 2 Finals

[edit]
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
 South Africa 1 0 1
 Greece 1 3 4
 Greece 2 0 2
 Ivory Coast 1 4 5
 China 0 4 4
 Ivory Coast 1 4 5
 Ivory Coast (a) 1 3 4
 Canada 2 2 4
 Israel (p) 1 0 1 (5)
 Scotland 0 1 0 (4)
 Israel 1 1 2 Third place
 Canada 0 3 3
 Vietnam 1 0 1  Greece 4 2 6
 Canada 1 1 2  Israel 1 1 2

League 3 Finals

[edit]
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
 Sudan 2 0 2
 Madagascar 1 0 1
 Sudan (a.e.t.) 2 1 3
 New Zealand 0 2 2
 Kuwait 0 0 0
 New Zealand 0 1 1
 Sudan 0 0 0
 Congo 0 3 3
 Azerbaijan 2 0 2
 Central African Republic 2 2 4
 Central African Republic 0 0 0 Third place
 Congo 0 2 2
 Congo 0 2 2  New Zealand 1 0 1
 Bolivia 1 0 1  Central African Republic (a) 1 0 1

League 4 Finals

[edit]
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
 Malaysia 0 0 0
 Malta 0 2 2
 Malta 0 0 0
 Gambia 0 1 1
 Suriname 0 2 2
 Gambia 1 2 3
 Gambia 1 3 4
 Bermuda 0 1 1
 Liberia (a) 0 2 2
 New Caledonia 0 2 2
 Liberia 2 0 2 Third place
 Bermuda 1 3 4
 Singapore 1 0 1  Malta 1 1 2
 Bermuda 3 4 7  Liberia 1 0 1

League 5 Finals

[edit]
Semi-finals Final
        
 Saint Lucia 1 2 3
 Cuba 2 2 4
 Cuba 1 0 1
 Pakistan 0 0 0
 Bangladesh 1 2 3
 Pakistan 3 2 5 Third place
 Saint Lucia (a) 2 5 7
 Bangladesh 4 3 7

World Cup Play-offs

[edit]

The World Cup play-offs consist of three rounds, with the 15 winners of the third play-off round advancing to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, joining the 3 host nations and the 30 other teams who qualified through the Nations League group stage.

In each round, teams were split into two pots: seeded and unseed. Each seeded team was drawn against an unseeded team. Teams from the same confederation, zone, or league could be drawn against each other. However teams from the same group could not be drawn against each other (this was only possible in the third play-off round, and only involving teams from League 1). Some teams could not be drawn against each other for political reasons, like Russia and Ukraine. The unseeded team hosts the first leg and the seeded team hosts the second leg. The draw for each round was conducted at once, and thus the second and third play-off round draws took place before all the teams involved in those rounds were known. So the seeding in these cases was carried out under the assumption that the highest seeded team would advance from the previous round.

Seeding for each round of the play-offs was based off the following order of precedent: teams entering a particular round were ranked over teams advancing from the previous round, teams in higher leagues were ranked over teams from lower leagues, ranking within own group (4th, 5th, then 6th; this only applied for teams in League 1, as all other groups only had one team participating in the play-offs), match points (excluding matches against "extra" teams in Leagues 4 and 5, where group sizes are unequal), and finally the group stage tie-breakers in order.

First play-off round

[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Liberia  4–3  Suriname 4–0 0–3
Saint Lucia  0–6  Gambia 0–2 0–4
Bangladesh  1–4  Singapore 1–3 0–1
Cuba  2–1  Malaysia 2–1 0–0
Pakistan  1–2  Bermuda 0–0 1–2

Second play-off round

[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Madagascar  1–5  Croatia 1–2 0–3
New Caledonia  1–7  Nigeria 0–4 1–3
Singapore  1–7  Saudi Arabia 0–3 1–4
Congo  1–8  Qatar 1–5 0–3
Sudan  1–3  Egypt 0–0 1–3
Bermuda  1–6  Chile 1–4 0–2
New Zealand  3–6  Russia 1–3 2–3
Central African Republic  0–5  Norway 0–0 0–5
Liberia  1–8  Turkey 0–5 1–3
Kuwait  0–3  Jamaica 0–3 0–0
United Arab Emirates  0–0 (7–8 p)  Slovakia 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Cuba  0–7  Venezuela 0–3 0–4
Bolivia  5–3  Costa Rica 5–1 0–2
Azerbaijan  2–4  Romania 0–2 2–2
Malta  0–7  Ukraine 0–2 0–5
Gambia  1–8  Hungary 0–3 1–5

Third play-off round

[edit]
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Egypt  2–5  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–1 0–4
Saudi Arabia  5–3  Iceland 2–1 3–2
Slovakia  2–4  Czech Republic 1–3 1–1
Qatar  2–7  Sweden 0–4 2–3
Bolivia  1–6  Paraguay 0–4 1–2
Venezuela  3–3 (a)  Tunisia 3–2 0–1
Croatia  2–0  Republic of Ireland 2–0 0–0
Norway  1–3  Poland 0–1 1–2
Nigeria  3–1  Ukraine 2–1 1–0
Romania  0–6  Ecuador 0–2 0–4
Chile  4–3  Cameroon 4–2 0–1
Jamaica  4–3  Jordan 3–2 1–1
Turkey  0–1  Austria 0–1 0–0
Hungary  1–4  South Korea 0–2 1–2
Russia  6–3  Ghana 3–1 3–2

FIFA World Cup

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The 48 qualifiers were split into three pots based on the following order of precedent: 1) The host nations were ranked ahead of all other teams, 2) Teams who qualified directly were ranked ahead of play-off winners, 3) Teams from higher leagues were ranked ahead of teams from lower leagues, 4) Teams were ranked based on their ranking from the FIFA Nations League.

Teams were drawn into 16 groups of three teams each, with each group consisting of one team from each pot. The United States were automatically placed into Group A, Canada into Group D, and Mexico into Group I. Unlike the Nations League draw (which was "regional", with some regions consisting of teams from two different confederations), the World Cup draw remains confederation based. Teams from the same confederation could not be drawn into the same group. The exception was UEFA teams, with each group having 1 or 2 teams from that confederation, due to the number of UEFA teams exceeding the number of groups (22 teams and only 16 groups).

World Cup group stage

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States (H) 2 2 0 0 7 1 +6 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Greece 2 1 0 1 3 5 −2 3
3  Tunisia 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Tunisia 0–3 Greece

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Peru 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Russia 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
3  Algeria 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Algeria 0–1 Russia
Russia 0–1 Peru
Peru 3–0 Algeria

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Wales 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
3  Poland 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Brazil 3–0 Poland
Poland 0–1 Wales
Wales 0–1 Brazil

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 2 2 0 0 5 2 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Ecuador 2 1 0 1 4 4 0 3
3  South Africa 2 0 0 2 4 7 −3 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Spain 2–0 Ecuador

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Croatia 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Canada (H) 2 1 0 1 4 3 +1 3
3  Serbia 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Canada 3–0 Serbia
Serbia 0–1 Croatia
Croatia 3–1 Canada

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Argentina 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
3  Nigeria 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Argentina 0–1 England
England 4–1 Nigeria
Nigeria 0–1 Argentina

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Italy 2 2 0 0 7 0 +7 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 1 0 1 7 5 +2 3
3  China 2 0 0 2 1 10 −9 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Italy 3–0 China

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Belgium 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  South Korea 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3  Israel 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Belgium 3–0 Israel

Group I

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Sweden 2 1 0 1 6 2 +4 3
3  Mexico (H) 2 0 1 1 0 5 −5 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Mexico 0–5 Sweden
Sweden 1–2 Germany
Germany 0–0 Mexico

Group J

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Portugal 2 2 0 0 8 3 +5 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Morocco 2 1 0 1 7 3 +4 3
3  Saudi Arabia 2 0 0 2 1 10 −9 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Morocco 2–3 Portugal

Group K

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Senegal 2 1 1 0 4 1 +3 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Czech Republic 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
3  Australia 2 0 1 1 1 4 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Australia 0–3 Senegal

Group L

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Scotland 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Japan 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 3
3  Paraguay 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Japan 0–2 Scotland
Scotland 2–0 Paraguay
Paraguay 1–2 Japan

Group M

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Uruguay 2 1 1 0 6 4 +2 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Austria 2 1 1 0 5 4 +1 4
3  Ivory Coast 2 0 0 2 2 5 −3 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Uruguay 3–3 Austria

Group N

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Chile 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  Iran 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
3   Switzerland 2 0 1 1 2 3 −1 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Switzerland 1–2 Chile
Chile 1–1 Iran
Iran 1–1  Switzerland

Group O

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Denmark 2 2 0 0 5 2 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Colombia 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3  Jamaica 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Colombia 1–2 Denmark
Denmark 3–1 Jamaica
Jamaica 0–1 Colombia

Group P

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Netherlands 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3
3  Vietnam 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Vietnam 0–3 France

Knockout stage

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Round of 32Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
                  
 
 
 
 
 United States4
 
 
 
 Russia0
 
 United States3
 
 
 
 Brazil1
 
 Brazil3
 
 
 
 Ecuador0
 
 United States0
 
 
 
 Argentina3
 
 Croatia1
 
 
 
 Argentina2
 
 Argentina4
 
 
 
 South Korea0
 
 Italy0
 
 
 
 South Korea2
 
 Argentina3
 
 
 
 Uruguay1
 
 Germany2
 
 
 
 Morocco0
 
 Germany6
 
 
 
 Japan1
 
 Senegal0
 
 
 
 Japan3
 
 Germany1
 
 
 
 Uruguay2
 
 Uruguay2
 
 
 
 Iran1
 
 Uruguay4
 
 
 
 Denmark0
 
 Denmark5
 
 
 
 Netherlands2
 
 Argentina4
 
 
 
 France2
 
 Peru3
 
 
 
 Greece1
 
 Peru (a.e.t.)1
 
 
 
 Spain0
 
 Spain2
 
 
 
 Wales0
 
 Peru0
 
 
 
 Belgium4
 
 England2
 
 
 
 Canada0
 
 England2
 
 
 
 Belgium3
 
 Belgium3
 
 
 
 Bosnia and Herzegovina1
 
 Belgium0
 
 
 
 France2 Third place
 
 Portugal4
 
  
 
 Sweden0
 
 Portugal1 Uruguay0
 
 
 
 Czech Republic0  Belgium1
 
 Scotland0
 
 
 
 Czech Republic3
 
 Portugal0
 
 
 
 France1
 
 Chile2
 
 
 
 Austria4
 
 Austria0
 
 
 
 France1
 
 France3
 
 
 Colombia1
 

2030 FIFA World Cup

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I followed this up with a simulation of the 2030 FIFA World Cup cycle here.