DR Congo in the Mix as Six Teams Chase Two Tickets to World Cup

The race for the final places at the FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its decisive phase  beginning from today as six nations set to compete in the FIFA InterConfederation play-off tournament in Mexico.

Africa’s representative, DR Congo along with Bolivia, Jamaica, Iraq, New Caledonia and Suriname will battle for the two remaining tickets to complete the expanded 48-team global finals, bringing years of qualification campaigns down to a handful of decisive matches.

The InterConfederation matches will be played at Guadalajara and Monterrey, where semi-finals will take place on 26 March before the finals on 31 March.

In Guadalajara, New Caledonia will face Jamaica in the opening semi-final, with the winner advancing to meet DR Congo in the decisive clash.

For DR Congo, this represents a chance to return to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when they competed as Zaire. 

Their journey to this stage has been remarkable, having eliminated continental heavyweights Cameroon and Nigeria in African qualifying in Morocco.

Jamaica also will be seeking a first World Cup appearance since France 1998. They will rely on the attacking threat of players such as Leon Bailey, while New Caledonia are chasing a historic debut on the global stage.

The winner of this pathway will advance to a challenging group featuring Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan at the World Cup.