Though the last week of the qualifiers leading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be remembered for joy and sorrow, a few nations have already secured their tickets to the final tournament, while others have seen their hopes dashed.
One of the most impressive players was Viktor Gyokeres, who led Sweden to qualification despite a difficult season overall. The forward was the main factor during the play-offs staging a hat-trick against Ukraine and then scoring the winning goal against Poland that helped the team advance.
On the other hand, Italy has yet again suffered a heavy blow. Although they were the favorites in the play-off round, the ex-world champions, after being dramatically eliminated in the penalty shootout against Bosnia and Herzegovina, continue their struggling trend in the international arena.
Captain Ladislav Krejci played the role of a savior for the Czech Republic. He not only led them to qualification but also scored a critical goal in the semi-final as well as the final game.
For Poland, the pain was made even deeper by the possible last bow of Robert Lewandowski on the international stage. After seeing their side lose out to Sweden, the veteran striker looked visibly upset and later dropped a hint at the end of his World Cup saga.
Turkey shared their joy of getting back to the world stage by qualifying, after 24 long years, for the World Cup. They escaped with two narrow wins against Romania and Kosovo that pushed them to the next stage.
In the meantime, England, who had already secured their spot before the qualifying matches started, ended this international break on a sour note. Their 1-1 draw with Uruguay and the 0-1 loss to Japan have soon raised the question mark around them ahead of the tournament.
With the closing of the qualifiers, the stage is now set for 2026, and the level of emotions in the footballing world couldn’t be higher.
