2026 World Cup qualifiers: Who will Wales or Ireland play at the finals?
Key details on Wales and Ireland's 2026 World Cup path
Wales and Ireland are hoping to reach the World Cup finals when the nations take part in the European play-offs in March.
Craig Bellamy’s side host Bosnia and Herzegovina in the semi-finals, with Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team travelling to Czechia.
The victors of those one-legged ties will face a one-legged final on March 31 to secure their spot at the tournament, which starts in June and is being co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Here’s who Wales and Ireland will meet in their potential play-off finals and at the World Cup if they qualify, as well as a look at their potential schedules.
Table of Contents
- 1 2026 World Cup qualifiers: Wales, Ireland path
- 2 World Cup 2026: Wales, Ireland group, teams
- 3 Who could Wales play at the World Cup? Group B
- 4 Who could Ireland play at the World Cup? Group A
- 5 FIFA World Cup: Wales, Ireland schedule, fixtures
- 6 When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup start?
- 7 What are Wales and Ireland’s World Cup chances?
2026 World Cup qualifiers: Wales, Ireland path
Should Wales win their semi-final, they will host the winners of the tie between Italy and Northern Ireland, which is taking place in Bergamo.
If Ireland win away to Czechia, they will travel to the winners of the tie between Denmark and North Macedonia in Copenhagen.
Both ties involving their potential opponents take place at the same time on Thursday.
The final will take place on Tuesday, March 31 (19:45 BST), with the winners advancing to the World Cup.
Thirty minutes of extra time and penalties will be used in the play-off ties, if necessary.
World Cup 2026: Wales, Ireland group, teams
The draw for the finals has already taken place. Wales will enter Group B if they qualify. Ireland will be in Group A if they advance.
Here’s how those groups look, including a look at each team’s FIFA ranking before the play-off semi-finals.
Who could Wales play at the World Cup? Group B
| Country | Rank |
| Switzerland | 18 |
| Canada | 29 |
| Qatar | 56 |
Switzerland are the highest-ranked team, with Canada potentially buoyed by their status as co-hosts at the finals.
Qatar – led by former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui – hosted the 2022 edition.
Who could Ireland play at the World Cup? Group A
| Country | Rank |
| Mexico | 16 |
| South Korea | 22 |
| South Africa | 60 |
FIFA World Cup: Wales, Ireland schedule, fixtures
Wales would meet Canada first, then Switzerland and Qatar. Fixtures with an asterisk start the following day.
| Date | Match | BST (UK) | ET (East) | PT (West) | Venue |
| June 12 | Canada | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | BMO Field, Toronto |
| June 18 | Switzerland | 04:00* | 23:00 | 20:00 | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| June 24 | Qatar | 04:00* | 23:00 | 20:00 | Lumen Field, Seattle |
Should they win their group at the World Cup, Wales will face one of the eight best-performing teams to have finished third among the 12 groups.
If they finish second, they will meet the runners-up from Group A, which will contain Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and a European play-off winner.
If they reach the knockout stage as a third-placed team, they will encounter the winners of Group D or E. The USA, Australia, Paraguay, a European play-off winner, Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador are in those sections.
Ireland would take on South Korea first, then South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. Fixtures with an asterisk start the following day.
| Date | Match | BST | ET | PT | Venue |
| June 11 | South Korea | 03:00* | 22:00 | 19:00 | Estadio Guadalajara, Mexico |
| June 18 | South Africa | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| June 24 | Mexico | 02:00* | 21:00 | 18:00 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
Should they win their group at the World Cup, Ireland will face one of the eight best-performing teams to have finished third among the 12 groups.
If they finish second, they will meet the runners-up from Group B, which will contain Switzerland, Canada, Qatar and a European play-off winner.
If they reach the knockout stage as a third-placed team, they will encounter the winners of Group E or G. Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand are in those groups.
Check out the full World Cup bracket.
When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup start?
The World Cup starts with a meeting between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11 (20:00 BST).
What are Wales and Ireland’s World Cup chances?
For Wales, much could depend on how they deal with a daunting potential play-off final against an Italy team ranked 12th.
Having won five and lost two of their qualifying games on their way to pushing Belgium close in their section, Wales would at least back themselves to perform better in their group at the finals than they did in 2022, when they finished bottom of their pile.
Ireland reached the play-offs with a late win in Hungary in qualifying and, at 59th in the rankings, would see a match against South Africa as their most winnable potential match at the finals.
Their best campaign was a quarter-final appearance in 1990, followed by runs to the last 16 in 1994 and 2002.