France have reached the final of the last two editions and are one of the favorites to win next year’s title, securing a place in the 2026 World Cup. Led by Mbappé, No. 10 and team captain, France beat Ukraine 4-0 and confirmed their journey to the World Cup. The Real Madrid striker scored twice, while Olise and Ekitiki completed the scoring.
On the other hand, Norway and Portugal were unable to confirm their classification in this penultimate round of European qualifiers. The Norwegians even did their homework by beating Estonia 4-1, but their party was ruined by Italy, which scored twice in a 2-0 win over Moldova. The two teams will face each other at the San Siro in the next round, when the Scandinavian team is guaranteed a trip to the World Cup after 27 years due to goal difference.
Portugal, in turn, did not have a good night. In the match that saw Cristiano Ronaldo sent off after being elbowed inside the penalty area, the team lost to Ireland 2-0. However, Portugal still has a simple victory to secure their place in the 2026 World Cup. On the other hand, the Irish can qualify for the qualifiers if they can beat Hungary in Budapest.
See ranked selections
- Canada
- US
- Mexico
- South Africa
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- Ivory Coast
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Morocco
- Senegal
- Tunisia
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Australia
- South Korea
- Iran
- Jordan
- Japan
- Qatar
- Uzbekistan
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