Several European nations moved closer to securing places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a series of decisive play-off matches on Thursday.
Italy recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland, while Türkiye edged Romania 1-0. Denmark delivered one of the most dominant performances of the round, thrashing North Macedonia 4-0.
Poland came from behind to defeat Albania 2-1, and Kosovo emerged victorious in a seven-goal thriller, beating Slovakia 4-3. Sweden also impressed, with Viktor Gyökeres netting a hat-trick in their 3-1 win over Ukraine.
Elsewhere, Czechia played out a 2-2 draw with the Republic of Ireland before advancing 4-3 on penalties. Wales were held 1-1 by Bosnia-Herzegovina but lost 4-2 in the ensuing shootout.
Match Results:
Türkiye 1-0 Romania
Czechia 2-2 Republic of Ireland (Czechia won 4-3 on penalties)
Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia
Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland
Poland 2-1 Albania
Slovakia 3-4 Kosovo
Ukraine 1-3 Sweden
Wales 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Bosnia-Herzegovina won 4-2 on penalties)
Following these outcomes, eight teams will now compete in the decisive play-off finals on Tuesday, with only four slots available for qualification.
Play-off Finals Fixtures:
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Italy
Sweden vs Poland
Kosovo vs. Türkiye
Czechia vs. Denmark
The winners of these fixtures will secure the remaining European tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
