FIFA World Cup Playoff Tournament: Schedule, how to watch, what to know as action begins in Mexico

Two playoff sports are up for grabs as two mini tournaments take place this week and next

The FIFA Playoff Tournament officially kicks off on Thursday, as two teams will inch closer to a spot in the 2026 World Cup. Two of the three Mexican host cities, Monterrey and Guadalajara, will welcome national teams from around the world for the four matches. While matches won't be taking place in Mexico City, where Azteca Stadium is currently undergoing renovations to get World Cup-ready, Mexico as a whole are treating these matches like they're World Cup games, which they should, considering that two of the final six World Cup spots will be booked by the end of March.

Bolivia, Suriname, New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo, and Iraq all enter with a chance to make it, but only two can emerge. Due to having the highest FIFA rankings, DR Congo and Iraq will have byes to the final round of qualification before facing the winner of the matches taking place on Thursday.

Here's a look at the schedule:

FIFA playoff tournament schedule

(All times Eastern. All matches available on FIFA+)

Thursday, March 26

• Bolivia vs. Suriname, 6 p.m. (Monterrey Stadium)
• New Caledonia vs. Jamaica, 11 p.m. (Guadalajara Stadium)

Tuesday, March 31

• DR Congo vs. New Caledonia or Jamaica, 5 p.m. (Guadalajara Stadium)
• Iraq vs. Bolivia or Suriname, 11 p.m. (Monterrey Stadium)

Here's what to know:

Iraq's path

It has been quite a journey for Iraq to get to the World Cup playoff in Mexico due to air travel restrictions due to the war in Iran, forcing the team to take a meandering path to Mexico, with those based in Iraq traveling overland to Jordan before flying out. Manager Graham Arnold was concerned that his squad, which mostly hails from Iraq's domestic leagues, wouldn't be able to make it, but luckily a worst-case scenario has been avoided as Iraq look to appear in the World Cup for the first time since the 1986 World Cup. This will be familiar territory to those who were around for that World Cup, as it also took place in Mexico. Due to their FIFA rankings, Iraq won't have to play until March 31, when they'll face the winner of Bolivia vs. Suriname, so this team is only 90 minutes from history.

The Reggae Boyz are up against it 

With an expanded World Cup field meaning that more teams than ever would make it from Concacaf, Jamaica would have expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Their dual-national recruitment brought players like Demarai Gray and Michail Antonio into the side, but they haven't put it together as they're now on their third coach since 2022. Following the departure of Steve McLaren, Rudolph Speid will lead them into the World Cup playoffs, where they'll face New Caledonia in their first match before a potential clash with DR Congo. Pressure will be on keeper Andre Blake, who at 35 may be facing the last chance of making the World Cup in his career, as Jamaica haven't participated since 1998.

Dreaming of 1994 all over again

While Bolivia have qualified for the World Cup three times in their history, if they can make it to the 2026 edition, it will be a bit of a deja vu moment. Bolivia's last World Cup appearance was in 1994, and while their top scorer in history, Marcelo Martins Moreno, came out of retirement to sign with his boyhood club Oriente Petrolero, manager Oscar Villegas decided to stick with the squad that got them here. Already beating South American sides such as Venezuela and Chile, Bolivia may not have the advantage of La Paz behind them in Mexico, but they could become shock participants in the World Cup.