On Thursday evening, we found out which teams would be competing in a one-legged all-or-nothing World Cup playoff tie, following the conclusion of exciting battles in Europe, before two intercontinental showdowns in North America.
European Playoffs
The action kicked off at 5 p.m. UK time with Turkey taking on Romania, with a second-half goal from Ferdi Kadıoğlu enough to see Turkey progress to the next stage.
They would have to wait to discover their opponents, which came from the tie between Slovakia and Kosovo. A game that turned into one of the most entertaining of the night. Slovakia led 2–1 at halftime. Kosovo responded with three second-half goals from Fisnik Asllani, Florent Muslija and Kreshnik Hajrizi to give them a 4-2 lead with 18 minutes remaining in what was an epic start to the second half.
A stoppage-time goal from David Strelec proved to be just a consolation, setting up a small matter of an all-Balkan tie on Tuesday between Kosovo and Turkey for a place amongst the world’s elite.
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In what proved to be a difficult evening for the British sides, Wales suffered a 2–1 defeat to Bosnia, with the visitors progressing to the next stage and setting up a tie with Italy.
It was Wales who struck first, with Dan James opening the scoring early in the second half. However, veteran forward Edin Džeko rose highest from a corner to level the match and force extra time.
Neither side could find a winner, and the tie was ultimately decided on penalties, where Bosnia held their nerve to secure a 4–2 shootout victory — setting up an intriguing clash with Italy.
Sweden failed to win any of their six matches in the World Cup qualification stages, but their Nations League performance earned them a route into the playoffs.
Manager Graham Potter came into the tie without a win in his opening two games, including a heavy 4-1 defeat to Switzerland, but that was firmly put behind them here.
A Viktor Gyökeres hat-trick saw the Swedes race into a 3-0 lead, putting them firmly in control. A late goal from Matvii Ponomarenko proved nothing more than a consolation as Sweden progressed to the next stage with a much-improved performance from what they showed last year.
They will take on Poland, who overcame Albania after going a goal behind. Arber Hoxha gave Albania the lead just before halftime, putting the pressure on the Poles.
However, Poland responded well, with Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski turning things around to secure the win and setting up a meeting with Sweden.
The fourth and final European playoff final will be between the Czech Republic and Denmark.
We start with Denmark, who had a relatively comfortable evening once they found a breakthrough. The first half produced no goals, but it was dominated by the Danes, who controlled the game throughout.
The second half saw them finally break through via Mikkel Damsgaard, which opened the floodgates. Gustav Isaksen added a brace, including two goals in two minutes, before Jens Nørgaard rounded off an emphatic 4-0 victory.
For the Czech Republic, it was a completely different kind of evening, coming through a far more entertaining and competitive fixture against the Republic of Ireland.
Ireland were in dreamland when Troy Parrott converted a penalty inside 19 minutes, before an own goal from Matej Kovar gave them a 2-0 lead.
Five minutes later, Patrik Schick pulled one back for the Czechs, but it looked as though Ireland would hold on until a late twist. An 86th-minute goal from Ladislav Krejčí brought the sides level and forced the tie to penalties.
From there, it was the Czech Republic who held their nerve, progressing with a 4-3 victory in the shootout.
Intercontinental Playoffs
The intercontinental playoffs took place across Mexico, with Bolivia facing Suriname in Mexico for the chance to set up a meeting with Iraq to determine who will reach the World Cup finals.
It was Suriname who struck first through Liam van Gelderen, before Moisés Paniagua pulled Bolivia level with 18 minutes to play.
After finding their equaliser, Bolivia showed far more intent going forward, playing with greater fluidity and attacking purpose rather than sitting back. That approach paid off, as Miguelito found the winner to seal the turnaround, setting up a decisive meeting with Iraq.
When you think of Oceanic football, you normally think of New Zealand or Australia before they switched to the Asian confederation. However, New Caledonia came into this playoff as an unknown quantity and gave a strong account of themselves against the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica.
Inside 18 minutes, Bailey Cadamarteri fired Jamaica in front, and that would prove to be the only goal of the game.
It meant Jamaica secured a narrow victory over New Caledonia to progress to the next stage, where they will take on DR Congo on Tuesday to determine who books their place in the 2026 World Cup finals.
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