Four European teams are heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the playoffs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Türkiye and Czechia all came through. Italy suffered their third straight World Cup exit. Denmark lost on penalties despite dominating their final. Quick Facts: What are the World Cup UEFA Playoffs? The UEFA playoffs gave 16 European…
Turkey and Romania meet in a single-leg semi-final at Vodafone Park in Istanbul. The winner advances to the Path C Final on March 31 against Slovakia or Kosovo. That final decides who gets the last European spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage. Both countries last played at a World Cup in 2002….
Italy have won four World Cups. They have not been to one since 2014. Tonight at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo, Italy face Northern Ireland in a single-leg playoff semi-final. A loss sends Italy out of another World Cup. A win for Northern Ireland takes them to football’s biggest stage for the first time…
Curaçao is making history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This tiny Caribbean island qualified for the first time ever, becoming the smallest nation by population and area to reach a World Cup. With around 160,000 people, Curaçao beat Iceland’s long-standing record set back in 2018. The Blue Wave earned their spot through CONCACAF qualifying…
Ivory Coast is back at the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. The Elephants missed the 2018 and 2022 tournaments but return to the global stage with one of their most talented squads in years. They won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024 on home soil in a dramatic run, replacing…
Ecuador is back at the World Cup for the fifth time. La Tricolor finished second in South America’s CONMEBOL qualifying standings behind only Argentina. They won eight matches and lost just twice across 18 games. Both losses came away to Argentina and Brazil. More telling was their defensive record: only five goals conceded in the…
Belgium is back at the World Cup. The Red Devils will play in North America from June 11 to July 19, 2026. This is their 15th World Cup and fourth in a row. Rudi Garcia took charge in January 2025. He has Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku at his disposal. The squad…
Egypt is back at the World Cup for the fourth time. The Pharaohs return after missing Qatar 2022. Mohamed Salah leads the team and this may be his last shot at making history. Hossam Hassan is the head coach. He played at the 1990 World Cup and now leads Egypt as manager. He is the…
Germany head to North America this summer with a lot to prove. Die Mannschaft sealed their spot at the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 6-0 win over Slovakia in November 2025. They topped UEFA Group A with 15 points from 18. At the December draw in Washington D.C. Germany landed in Group E with…