Guadalajara and Monterrey will get a head start on next summer’s World Cup excitement when they play host to the FIFA interconfederation playoff series in March.
The playoff will feature six national sides from five soccer confederations battling for two spots in the 48-team World Cup field.
One of the two host venues for the World Cup qualifying tournament in March, Estadio BBVA, in the Guadalupe municipality of the greater Monterrey area, offers soccer fans a view of the noble Cerro de la Silla. (@la_okocha/X)
Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron and Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA will stage the qualification tournament — which will begin on March 23 — with each stadium hosting two matches.
“These iconic stadiums are the perfect stages for what promises to be a thrilling event filled with passion, drama and excitement,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.
Forty-two World Cup spots have been filled after qualifying rounds in the six confederations concluded this week. Whereas the European confederation (UEFA) will hold its own World Cup playoff with 16 teams squaring off for four additional berths, the other five confederations will have a chance to secure an extra spot in the interconfederation playoff.
The six nations that will compete in Mexico are Iraq (Asian Football Confederation), Congo (Confederation of African Football), Jamaica (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, or Concacaf), Suriname (Concacaf), Bolivia (South American Football Confederation) and New Caledonia (Oceania Football Confederation).
As the host confederation, Concacaf was granted an extra team in the playoff.
The match schedule — arranged via a blind draw held Thursday in Zurich — pits New Caledonia vs. Jamaica, with the winner facing Congo (ranked No. 56 in the FIFA World Rankings) for one World Cup spot. The other bracket has Bolivia facing Suriname, with the winner advancing to a meeting with Iraq (ranked No. 58) for the other spot.
It has yet to be decided which games will take place at which of the two sites.
After the draw, ESPN predicted that Congo and Bolivia will emerge as winners.
Estadio Akron and Estadio BBVA will each host games at next year’s World Cup. The former will be the site of four group-stage matches, while the latter will play host to three group games and a round-of-32 match.
The third venue for World Cup matches in Mexico — Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte — is undergoing renovations that are expected to be completed in March 2026.
The historically significant stadium — host to the inaugural World Cup matches in 1970 and 1986 when it was still called Estadio Azteca — has been designated to host the inaugural match of the 2026 World Cup. It will celebrate its reopening with a friendly match between the Mexican national team and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
With reports from The Associated Press, SB Nation and The Sporting News
