FIFA have confirmed the format of the interconfederation playoffs that will decide the final three places at the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The playoffs will be made up of a league phase and an elimination phase, both to be played in Brazil.

In the league phase, six teams will play three matches each. The teams will be placed into three tiers of two teams each based on the FIFA rankings. Teams will play one match against a team from each tier, with the constraint that teams from the same confederation cannot play against one another. The league phase will be played in NOV-DEC 2026, after which the top two teams will advance.

Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan have already reached the league phase as the losing teams in the repechage playoffs at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, with New Caledonia joining them as the losing finalist in the OFC elimination phase. Of the third and fourth placed teams in the CONMEBOL group phase, the lower in the FIFA rankings will take part in the league phase, with two teams from the CAF Women’s African Nations Cup rounding out the field.

The elimination phase will be made up of three matches, with the winners qualifying for the final tournament. The top two teams from the league phase will join the lowest ranked winner from the UEFA playoffs, two teams from the CONCACAF W Championship, and the higher in the FIFA rankings of the third and fourth placed CONMEBOL teams. The elimination phase matches will be played in FEB-MAR 2027.