On March 31, six teams secured the last coveted tickets in the FIFA World Cup qualifying phase. The matches included four from the UEFA European Qualifiers and two intercontinental matches. The final spots were won by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Turkey, Czech Republic, DR Congo and Iraq. This means that the 48 teams have now been finalized.
On Tuesday afternoon at 2:45 p.m., the playoff finals kicked off across Europe. Bosnia and Herzegovina faced Italy on home soil. For the Italian “Squadra Azzurra”, currently ranked 12th in the FIFA World Rankings, qualifying was essential. The Italians had already failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The same goes for the Bosnians, who last participated in a World Cup in 2014. Italy got off to a better start and scored the opening goal early on through Moise Kean. However, a red card shown to Alessandro Bastoni in the 41st minute made it increasingly difficult for the Italians to maintain pressure. With 11 minutes remaining in the game, Bosnia and Herzegovina finally equalized through Haris Tabakovic. In extra time, neither team had many chances, so the match went to a penalty shootout. Italy struggled and hit the crossbar on two of their three attempts. Esmir Bajraktarevic sealed the victory for Bosnia and Herzegovina, who won the shootout 4-1.
The playoff match between Sweden and Poland was just as closely contested. Both teams struggled with inconsistent performances during the group stage of qualifying. Sweden failed to win a single match in the group stage and qualified for the playoffs only because they had previously won their Nations League group. The team ended their six-game winless streak with a victory over Ukraine in the semifinals. Poland, on the other hand, performed better in the group stage, finishing in second place behind the Netherlands. In the playoff final, however, Sweden put in the better performance of the qualifying campaign. Poland managed to equalize twice after Sweden took the lead, but ultimately had to accept defeat. In the 88th minute, Viktor Gyökeres scored the decisive goal for Sweden, securing their World Cup ticket. Robert Lewandowski and the Polish team will thus miss this year’s World Cup.
The match between Kosovo and Turkey was far less eventful. Kosovo played at home against Turkey, who had defeated Romania 1-0 in the semifinals. The first half was marked by chances on both sides. Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir managed to tip a shot by Fisnik Asllani onto the crossbar. Kenan Yildiz and Hakan Calhanoglu missed chances for the Turks. However, that changed in the second half with a tap-in by Kerem Aktürkoglu in the 53rd minute. Kosovo tried to turn the game around, but to no avail.
The earliest goal in any of the playoff finals was scored by the Czech Republic. In the 3rd minute, Pavel Sulc scored against Denmark after a corner. This was followed by several good chances for both sides. In the second half, the Danes managed to equalize through Joachim Andersen. In overtime, it was the Czechs who took the lead again. Ladislav Krejci scored in the 100th minute. Eleven minutes later, Kasper Högh tied the game once more for Denmark. The ensuing penalty shootout began with Denmark missing their first attempt. Despite missing a penalty of their own, the Czech Republic won the shootout 3-1. This marks the team’s first World Cup appearance since 2006.
The final two spots were decided in intercontinental matches. The intercontinental finals were played on neutral ground. The Democratic Republic of the Congo faced Jamaica. The match between the 46th- and 70th-ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings was not decided until extra time. In the 100th minute, Axel Tuanzebe scored for the Congolese. Jamaica has now missed out on qualifying for the next World Cup. For DR Congo, this will be their first appearance since 1974.
The final World Cup spot was decided in the match between Iraq and Bolivia. The game was decided in regulation time by two Iraqi goals. Ali Al-Hamadi and Ayman Hussein scored for the team. Moises Paniagua scored the only goal for Bolivia, who must now accept that they have once again failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup are now set. The group stage will consist of 12 groups. The tournament kicks off with the opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa. This year’s FIFA World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will run for five weeks and conclude with the final on July 19.