France has successfully secured its place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following a dominant 4-0 victory over Ukraine. The win saw Kylian Mbappé score two goals, complemented by single strikes from Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitike, solidifying France’s position at the top of Group D. This decisive performance means France, with 13 points, holds a significant six-point lead with just one match remaining, ensuring their automatic qualification for the prestigious tournament to be held in North America.
Meanwhile, Portugal’s journey to the World Cup encountered an unexpected hurdle after a 2-0 defeat to Ireland. The match was further complicated by a straight red card issued to captain Cristiano Ronaldo, his first ever while representing the Portuguese national team. The incident occurred when the star forward was judged to have intentionally elbowed an Irish player, marking a difficult night for the team and its veteran leader. This loss means Portugal’s automatic qualification is not yet confirmed. They currently lead Group F with 10 points, closely followed by Hungary with 8 points, and Ireland with 7 points, all retaining hopes for the World Cup. Portugal must now secure a victory in their final group match against Armenia to guarantee their direct passage to the finals.
In Group I, Erling Haaland continued his impressive scoring form, bagging two goals in Norway’s resounding 4-1 triumph over Estonia in Oslo. This victory has brought Norway tantalizingly close to securing an automatic World Cup berth, potentially marking their first appearance in the tournament since 1998. Norway currently sits atop their group with 21 points from seven matches. Italy, who recently defeated Moldova, trails closely with 18 points from the same number of games. The stage is now set for a direct showdown between Norway and Italy in their final group fixture, which will ultimately decide automatic qualification from Group I.
Elsewhere in the qualification rounds, Albania kept their play-off hopes alive in Group K with a narrow 1-0 win against Andorra. Conversely, Serbia’s aspirations for World Cup qualification were ended after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to England.
