The Albany Gazette - Underdogs chase World Cup berths in Mexico playoff tournament

New Caledonia, Suriname, Jamaica, Bolivia, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo form the diverse cast of hopefuls each chasing one of the two berths on offer for this year's expanded 48‑team finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The mini‑tournament in Guadalajara and Monterrey also serves as a test run for two cities set to host World Cup matches in June, giving Mexico a chance to showcase its readiness after recent security concerns.

The straight‑knockout playoffs begin Thursday, with the tiny French Pacific territory of New Caledonia facing the "Reggae Boyz" of Jamaica in Guadalajara.

The winner will advance to meet the Democratic Republic of Congo at the same venue on March 31, with a World Cup ticket on the line. Whoever emerges will join Group K alongside Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.

In Monterrey, Bolivia — seeking their first World Cup appearance since the 1994 finals in the United States — take on Suriname, the former Dutch colony on the northeastern coast

The victor will move on to a winner‑take‑all clash with Iraq next week for the second berth on offer.

The team that survives the Monterrey pathway will land in a daunting Group I, where France, Norway and Senegal await.

- Iraq, DR Congo favourites -

On paper, and according to the latest FIFA rankings, Iraq and the DR Congo will start as the heavy favourites to advance out of the playoffs.

Iraq's preparations however have been hampered by the outbreak of war in the Middle East triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

Iraq coach Graham Arnold initially appealed to FIFA to postpone his team's playoff, stating that many players and backroom staff had been left stranded due to the war.

Players and staff based in Baghdad however made it out of the country after reportedly traveling overland to Jordan before flying out of Amman to reach Mexico.

Iraq are bidding to reach the World Cup for only the second time, having qualified for the 1986 finals in Mexico where they lost all three group games against Paraguay, Belgium, and Mexico.

For DR Congo, meanwhile, the wait to secure their second World Cup finals appearance has been even longer.

The country, formerly Zaire, last played at the 1974 World Cup finals in Germany, where they were eliminated in the group stage after defeats to Scotland, Yugoslavia and Brazil without scoring a goal.

DR Congo though have grounds for believing that the long wait to return to the finals could finally be over after battling through African qualifying, eliminating Cameroon and Nigeria to reach these playofffs.

This week's tournament is taking place just weeks after an explosion of violence in Guadalajara and other parts of Mexico triggered by the death of a notorious cartel druglord.

More than 70 people were killed in the violence, but Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and world governing body FIFA have insisted the unrest will have no bearing on the World Cup.

Mexico, which is hosting 13 matches at the World Cup shared between Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City, has said more than 100,000 security personnel will be deployed to protect fans at the tournament.

(B.Smith--TAG)