New Caledonia will face Jamaica in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Play-Off Tournament Pathway 1 semi-final, following the draw at the Home of FIFA in Zurich. The winner will meet Congo DR in the Play-Off Tournament Pathway 1 final for a place at the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The Play-Off Tournament involves two teams from CONCACAF, and one from each of OFC, AFC, CAF, and COMNEBOL, for the right to claim one of two final remaining spots at the global finals next year. It will take place in March 2026 in Mexico, with games to be held in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
New Caledonia qualified for the Play-Off Tournament by virtue of finishing runners up at the FIFA World Cup 26™ Oceania Qualifiers in March, losing 3-0 to New Zealand in the final at Eden Park in Auckland.
New Caledonia-born 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Christian Karembeu was among the assistants for the draw at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, whilst New Caledonia head coach Johann Sidaner was also present to learn his side’s fate.
“New Caledonia has earned the right to play in this play-off match, and it will be a fantastic event for us,” Sidaner said. “The draw has paired us with Jamaica. It looks promising on paper, but we will inevitably be underdogs against an opponent ranked 70th on the FIFA rankings.” He added.
Jamaica have previously qualified for one FIFA World Cup before, 27 years ago for the 1998 tournament in France. They missed out on direct qualification for FIFA World Cup 2026 on the final day of CONCACAF qualifying, following a 0-0 draw with Curacao in Kingston, a result that saw their Caribbean rivals qualify at their expense.
Head coach Steve McClaren resigned following that disappointment, and Jamaica are now on the hunt for a new coach to lead them against New Caledonia at the Play-Off Tournament. The Jamaican squad has recently featured several English-based stars, including West Ham’s Michail Antonio, Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock, and Birmingham City’s Demarai Gray, highlighting the challenge for Johann Sidaner’s team.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our football, but we must be aware of the superiority of the Jamaican national team. They will have the advantage of the presence of their supporters given the geographical proximity to Mexico.” Sidaner said.
Sidaner acknowledges that preparing for the play-offs will be difficult given he doesn’t have any FIFA international window’s left to get his side together in camp. New Caledonia can hang some confidence on a 2-0 win over the Gibraltar national team last month though, their first ever victory against a European nation.
“The unique nature of our national team and the challenges of this preparation are numerous. Unfortunately, we no longer have a FIFA window, and opportunities to get together are very limited. We will proceed as we did for the OFC qualifiers and approach these play-offs with the utmost seriousness!”
Full match details for New Caledonia’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament semi-final with Jamaica are set to be announced in due course.
Suriname and Bolivia will meet in the other playoff semi-final with the winner to meet Iraq for a place at the FIFA World Cup 26™.
Photo Credit: Fédération Calédonienne de Football (FCF) Media