New Caledonia's Georges Gope-Fenepej (10) celebrates one of his two goals against Tahiti at the Sky Stadium in Wellington on Friday, 21 March. New Caledonia won this FIFA OFC World Cup qualifier semifinal match 3-0. Photo: OFC Media Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.nz
New Caledonia will face Jamaica and potentially the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup 26 Play-off Tournament will see six sides fight it out for the final two places at the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The tournament will be held in Mexico, with the French territory to set to face the Caibbean nation in a semifinal match. If they win, they will play the DR Congo for a spot at the World Cup.
New Caledonia qualified for the play-off tournament by virtue of finishing runners up in the Oceania qualifier in March, losing 3-0 to New Zealand.
Suriname and Bolivia will meet in the other playoff semi-final, with the winner to meet Iraq for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
New Caledonia-born 1998 FIFA World Cup winner with France Christian Karembeu was among the assistants for the play-off tournament draw, as was New Caledonia head coach Johann Sidaner.
New Caledonia-born 1998 FIFA World Cup winner with France, Christian Karembeu, was among the assistants for the play-off tournament draw, as was New Caledonia head coach Johann Sidaner. Photo: Fédération Calédonienne de Football (FCF) Media
Sidaner said New Caledonia had earned the right to play in this play-off match.
"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 said.
Jamaica has qualified for one FIFA World Cup before - 27 years ago for the 1998 tournament in France. The Jamaican squad has recently featured several England-based stars, including West Ham's Michail Antonio, Brentford's Ethan Pinnock, and Birmingham City's Demarai Gray.
Sidaner said they have an "extraordinary opportunity" to showcase their football, but they must be aware of the superiority of the Jamaican side.
"They will have the advantage of the presence of their supporters given the geographical proximity to Mexico.
"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."
