The World Cup playoff draw is complete — and the road to 2026 just became much clearer. In this episode I react to the full draw, examine Italy’s difficult path, and take a deeper look at the biggest storyline outside Europe: the extraordinary CONCACAF qualification campaign.I begin with a post-mortem on Concacaf, where Haiti and Curaçao produced historic qualifications, Suriname reached the intercontinental playoff, and giants such as Honduras and Costa Rica missed out. Given the issues in Haiti and the unique player pathways used by Curaçao and Suriname, these qualifications are all the more remarkable.I then run through all 42 teams already qualified, before breaking down the inter-confederation playoff draw and assessing home advantage and favorability for each matchup.The heart of the episode is the UEFA playoff draw:– Path A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Wales)– Path B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania)– Path C (Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey, Romania)– Path D (Czechia, Ireland, Denmark, North Macedonia)I give my thoughts on each path, discuss likely favorites, and close with winners and losers of the draw — plus a quick preview of upcoming content linked to the World Cup draw on December 5.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Use this RSS Link to never miss an episode in your favorite podcast app: https://anchor.fm/s/f9d49078/podcast/rss You can also find me on YouTube: @MySoccerUniverseFootballTalk Also, check out my main Youtube channel @MySoccerUniverse If you want to hear my takes on the Austrian Bundesliga in general, and my team LASK in particular and understand German, you can subscribe to my other podcast, too: @MeinLASKUniversum or https://anchor.fm/s/107a5b448/podcast/rss ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------World Cup playoff draw, World Cup 2026 playoffs, Italy playoff path, Italy Northern Ireland playoff, Bosnia vs Wales, Ukraine vs Sweden, Poland vs Albania, Turkey vs Romania, Slovakia vs Kosovo, Czechia vs Ireland, Denmark vs North Macedonia, inter confederation playoff, Haiti World Cup qualification, Curaçao World Cup qualification, Suriname World Cup playoff, Concacaf World Cup qualifying review, World Cup 2026 teams, FIFA World Cup draw reaction, football analysis, My Soccer Universe, international football reaction, FIFA playoff format explained#WorldCup2026 #WorldCupPlayoffs #Italy #CONCACAF #Haiti #Curacao #UEFAPlayoffs #FootballAnalysis #SoccerUniverse #WCQ2026 #internationalfootball 0:00 – Introduction1:34 – CONCACAF Post-Mortem: Haiti & Curaçao Make History6:31 – 🌍 All 42 Qualified Nations – Quick Comments8:31 – 🌐 Inter-Confederation Playoff Draw Explained & Favorites11:00 – 🇪🇺 UEFA Playoff Draw Overview11:00 – Path A: 🇮🇹 Italy vs 🇬🇧 Northern Ireland + 🇧🇦 Bosnia vs 🇬🇧 Wales12:10 – Path B: 🇺🇦 Ukraine vs 🇸🇪 Sweden + 🇵🇱 Poland vs 🇦🇱 Albania12:52 – Path C: 🇸🇰 Slovakia vs 🇽🇰 Kosovo + 🇹🇷 Turkey vs 🇷🇴 Romania14:14 – Path D: 🇨🇿 Czechia vs 🇮🇪 Ireland + 🇩🇰 Denmark vs 🇲🇰 North Macedonia15:03 – Winners & Losers of the Playoff Draw17:23 – Wrap-Up & Upcoming World Cup Draw Content