2026 World Cup qualification playoffs: Who will Mexico face in the group stage?
With UEFA’s World Cup playoffs set for the finals next week, co-hosts Mexico are about to learn the identity of their third Group A rival.
The final tickets to the 2026 World Cup are close to being handed out - and one of them will come out of UEFA’s Path D playoff, an elimination route that will determine the identity of Mexico’s final group-stage opponent.
In UEFA Path D’s playoff semifinals on Thursday, four national teams battled for a spot in the next week’s final: North Macedonia, Ireland, Czechia and Denmark, in a set of high‑pressure matchups.
Danes dominate North Macedonia
In the opening match, Denmark showed no mercy, routing North Macedonia 4-0 in a completely one‑sided contest. Mikkel Damsgaard opened the scoring, Gustav Isaksen added a brace, and Christian Nørgaard sealed the emphatic victory that sent the Danes into the final.
Czechs knock out Ireland
The second matchup, between Czechia and the Republic of Ireland, ended in an entertaining 2–2 draw, a fiercely contested game that pushed the outcome into extra time.
With no breakthrough in the added period, the tie was ultimately settled from the spot - and the Czechs held their nerve. Jan Kliment netted the decisive penalty to secure a 4-3 shootout win in a dramatic, tension‑filled finish.
When is the UEFA Path D playoff final?
Denmark and Czechia will now face off in Prague, with everything on the line in a single decisive matchup for a World Cup spot.
Held at Stadion Letná, the Path D playoff final is to be played on Tuesday, March 31, with kickoff in the Czech capital scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. PT.
The winner will join co-hosts Mexico in World Cup Group A, facing off against El Tri on June 24, on the final matchday of the round-robin phase. Denmark or Czechia will also meet South Africa and South Korea in the group stage.
World Cup 2026 - Group A teams and schedule:
Matchday one: Thursday, June 11
- 3:00 p.m. ET: Mexico vs South Africa, Mexico City
- 10:00 p.m. ET: South Korea vs Czechia/Denmark, Guadalajara
Matchday two: Thursday, June 18
- 2:00 p.m. ET: Czechia/Denmark vs South Africa, Atlanta
- 9:00 p.m. ET: Mexico vs South Korea, Guadalajara
Matchday three: Wednesday, June 24
- 9:00 p.m. ET: Czechia/Denmark vs Mexico, Mexico City
- 9:00 p.m. ET: South Africa vs South Korea, Monterrey
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