Bolivia and Jamaica moved to within one win of returning to the World Cup after decades-long absences on Thursday after securing opening victories in FIFA's intercontinental playoff tournament in Mexico.

Bolivia, chasing their first World Cup appearance since the 1994 finals in the United States, came from behind to defeat Suriname 2-1 in Monterrey.

The South Americans' victory sends them into a winner-takes-all playoff against Iraq next Tuesday, with the victor advancing to a World Cup group of death alongside France, Norway and Senegal.

Jamaica, who are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time in history following a lone appearance at the 1998 finals in France, defeated New Caledonia 1-0 in Thursday's other game in Guadalajara.

The Reggae Boyz will now play the Democratic Republic of Congo next Tuesday for the right to a berth in World Cup K alongside Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

Jamaica, whose squad is drawn largely from the lower divisions of English football, will head into their clash with Congo knowing that they will need an improved performance to punch their ticket to the World Cup after a laboured win over New Caledonia, the tiny French territory in the South Pacific.

Despite dominating possession and territory for long periods at the Estadio Akron near Guadalajara, Jamaica struggled to create clear-cut chances.

The only goal of a drab encounter came when Wrexham forward Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri bundled in a close-range rebound after New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine could only parry a well-struck free-kick from Ronaldo Webster in the 18th minute.

- Bolivia fight back -

Bolivia produced a second-half fightback to shatter Suriname's unlikely dream of World Cup qualification.

A 79th-minute penalty from Santos striker Miguel Terceros following an equalizer from teenage substitute Moises Paniagua gave Bolivia victory.

Suriname, who had been bidding to become the lowest ranked team in history to qualify for the World Cup, took the lead in the 48th minute when Liam van Gelderen bundled home at Monterrey's BBVA Stadium.

That goal looked like being enough to secure victory for the former Dutch colony, who are ranked 123rd in the world and made up mostly of players from the Netherlands of Surinamese descent.

But Bolivia began to dominate as the second half drew on and were thrown a lifeline when the 18-year-old Paniagua's low shot made it 1-1 after 72 minutes.

Six minutes later an adventurous burst down the right flank from Bolivia fullback Diego Medina sowed panic in the Suriname defense.

Medina's low cross found substitute Juan Sinforiano Godoy, who was tripped by Suriname defender Myenty Abena.

Australian referee Alireza Faghani pointed to the spot and after a brief delay, Terceros stepped up to drill in the spot kick and make it 2-1.

It marked another heroic moment in Bolivia's World Cup qualifying campaign for the 21-year-old striker.

Terceros also scored the goal in a 1-0 win over Brazil that saw them squeeze into this week's playoffs.

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Widespread political and security concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup are nothing new and will be forgotten once the first ball is kicked, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani said Wednesday.

This summer's soccer tournament is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the buildup has been complicated by the war in the Middle East, President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and gang violence in Mexico, among other factors.

Iran has said it will not play its scheduled fixtures in the US after Trump warned Iranian players would be at risk, while travelling fans from various countries have voiced difficulties over obtaining visas and fears of being targeted by immigration agents.

But Montagliani, who heads soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, said the concerns were no different to those that preceded previous editions.

"The reality of the World Cups -- every World Cup FIFA has put on -- there's always been geopolitical issues. Always," he told the Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta.

"Go back to '78, Argentina, the junta and all that stuff," he added, referring to the edition that took place during the South American country's brutal military dictatorship.

Rights groups say around 30,000 people died or disappeared under the dictatorship, one of Latin America's bloodiest.

"Right now it's just magnified because everything else in the world is magnified, whether it's social media, or whether it's how the media reports things," said Montagliani.

"But it doesn't change our job... It's a reality of doing business. We deal with it. We will deal with it.

"And at the end of the day, like every other World Cup, on June 11, when the ball starts rolling, somehow everybody forgets about everything else and starts worrying about the game," he added.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under scrutiny for his close relationship with Trump, which has included attending a Gaza peace summit brokered by the US president.

Infantino awarded Trump a newly created FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw ceremony in December.

"At the end of the day, our main goal is to ensure that the security is top notch, which is why we have to have our relationship solid with every federal government -- Canada, the US, and Mexico," said Montagliani.

"That the fans are safe. That they're going to enjoy themselves.

"And then once the ball starts rolling, it's all about football."

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