By next Tuesday, all 48 spots in the 2026 World Cup – the largest edition in tournament history – will be filled.
Until then, there’s a lot of important soccer happening around the world. In UEFA (Europe’s soccer confederation), four World Cup spots are still up for grabs. After Thursday’s round of action, we’ll now know who will take those spots next Tuesday:
– Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. Italy
– Sweden vs. Poland
– Kosovo vs. Türkiye
– Czechia vs. Denmark
Elsewhere, six nations from across different soccer confederations are vying for two spots in separate three-team tournaments being held in Mexico. Two teams will emerge on Tuesday and book spots for the World Cup.
And before we get set for those games on Tuesday, we’re recapping all of Thursday’s action:
JUMP TO: UEFA Path A | UEFA Path B | UEFA Path C | UEFA Path D | Intercontinental Playoff
UEFA Path A: Italy On Cusp of World Cup Spot
It’s inexplicable that a country with such a rich soccer heritage and which has won four World Cup titles has not reached soccer’s biggest stage since 2014. Surely Italy won’t miss yet another tournament, right?
Well, the Azzurri took a step in the right direction by beating Northern Ireland in Bergamo. Sandro Tonali broke the deadlock with a half-volley early in the second half for Italy at home in Bergamo and then set up another goal for Moise Kean.
Italy vs. Northern Ireland | FIFA World Cup 2026™ UEFA Qualifiers Highlights ⚽️ FOX Soccer
They will now have to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina (who outlasted Wales on penalties) for a spot in the World Cup – where they’ll join Group B (co-hosts Canada, Qatar, Switzerland). The winner’s games will be played in Toronto (vs. Canada), Los Angeles (vs. Switzerland) and Seattle (vs. Qatar).
“After taking the lead, we cleared our minds,” Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said. “We put in a good performance. This should be a confidence boost for Tuesday. … We have to win. We have no other choice.”
Path B: Sweden’s Gyökeres Hits Hat Trick – Next Up? Poland
A hat trick by Viktor Gyökeres saw Sweden handle Ukraine and take another step closer towards the World Cup. The Swedes will next face Poland, who defeated Albania.
The winner between Sweden and Poland will join the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia in Group F. Those games will be played in Monterrey, Mexico (vs. Tunisia), Houston (vs. the Netherlands) and Arlington, Tex. (vs. Japan).
Gyökeres took center stage as the Arsenal playmaker shined despite having not scored for his country since 2024. Ukraine, who had a consolation goal by Matviy Ponomarenko.
Poland had to rally past the Albanians, who took an initial lead by Arber Hoxha in the first half. But Poland equalized after 37-year-old Robert Lewandowski scored a crucial header, followed by Piotr Zielinski’s goal that put Poland in front. The win also kept Lewandowski’s (who plays at Barcelona) hopes of playing in a third World Cup.
Poland vs. Albania | FIFA World Cup 2026™ UEFA Qualifiers Highlights ⚽️ FOX Soccer
Check out the best highlights between Poland and Albania in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ UEFA Qualifiers.
UEFA Path C: Türkiye, Kosovo Advance; Winner Joins USA’s Group
We’re closer to getting the full picture of who will join the USA’s World Cup group.
Real Madrid’s Arda Güler set up Ferdi Kadioglu’s goal as Türkiye took down Romania to give them another step toward advancing to the World Cup. Türkiye will next take on Kosovo, who outlasted Slovakia in a seven-goal thriller.
The winner of the Türkiye-Kosovo match on Tuesday will join the USA, Paraguay and Australia in Group D. Those matches will be played in Vancouver (vs. Australia), Santa Clara, Calif. (vs. Paraguay) and Los Angeles (vs. the USA).
Türkiye vs. Romania | FIFA World Cup 2026™ UEFA Qualifiers Highlights ⚽️ FOX Soccer
Romania’s elimination means that 80-year-old Mircea Lucescu won’t get a chance to coach at the World Cup for the first time. Lucescu captained Romania at the 1970 World Cup. He previously coached Türkiye.
Nicolae Stanciu hit the post in the second half in Istanbul, but Romania couldn’t muster the equalizer.
“We knew it would be a tough match. Lucescu knows us well and prepared accordingly,” Türkiye captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu said. “In the first half, we could have made better runs in behind. In the second half, Ferdi scored with a ball in behind and it became 1-0. From then, it was ours.”
As for Kosovo, the team is one game away from its first-ever World Cup after twice recovering from a goal down to upset Slovakia 4-3.
– Countdown of the Top 100 Moments in World Cup History
– 2026 World Cup Groups: Full Results From Draw
Path D: Denmark Throttles North Macedonia; Ireland Heartbreak
Denmark had no trouble with North Macedonia as Gustav Isaksen scored twice in two minutes in Denmark’s 4-0 win. The Danes will now take on Czechia, who needed penalties to oust Ireland.
The winner of the Denmark-Czechia match will join co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea in Group A at the World Cup. Those games will be played in Guadalajara (vs. South Korea), Atlanta (vs. South Africa) and Mexico City (vs. Mexico).
It’s a heartbreaking loss for the Irish, who had reached this stage thanks to some late-game heroics from Troy Parrott during the previous qualifying phase. Instead, it is the Czechs who are moving on.
Intercontinental Playoff Games
The winner of the Congo vs. New Caledonia/Jamaica match will join Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K. Matches will be played in Houston (vs. Portugal), Guadalajara (vs. Colombia) and Atlanta (vs. Uzbekistan.)
The winner of the Iraq vs. Bolivia/Suriname match will join France, Senegal and Norway in Group I. Those matches will be played in Foxborough, Mass. (vs. Norway), Philadelphia (vs. France) and Toronto (vs. Senegal).
Read the full article here
