The draw and the pots, what you need to know about the play-off phase

Albania awaits the draw for the 2026 World Cup Play-Offs, which will be held on Thursday in Switzerland. The draw will feature 12 second-placed teams in their groups and the four winners of the Nations League, divided into four pots according to FIFA's rankings.

Currently, Albania is in the second pot, but there is a possibility of falling to the third pot if Ireland surpasses it in the rankings.

In the draw, the first pot faces the fourth and the second pot faces the third. If it falls into the third pot, Albania could face Scotland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Ireland and lose the right to play the semi-final at "Air Albania".

At the same time, it would avoid confrontation with Kosovo, which is in the same boat.

If they qualify for the semi-finals, the Rossoneri would face the winners of the pairs from the first and fourth pots in the final, with the favorites being Italy, Turkey, Ukraine or Poland.

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