The best two runners-up from the third round will join one team each from AFC, CAF, soccer shirt CONMEBOL and OFC in the inter-confederation play-offs. In the third round, the twelve teams advancing from the second round will be drawn into three groups of four teams. The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The top twenty-eight CONCACAF teams in the FIFA rankings of December 2023 will enter in the second round, to be joined by the two winners of the first round. The two winners advanced to the second round.
