It all comes down to a straight shoot-out on Tuesday night when the remaining eight European countries bid to secure the continent’s final four spots at World Cup 2026.
Thursday’s one-legged play-off semi-finals didn’t disappoint with late goals, comebacks, and penalty shoot-out drama. In the end, we saw Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Kosovo, Turkey, Czech Republic, and Denmark all book their spots in the prized play-off finals, which will each take place at 7.45pm (BST) on Tuesday.
Stats you might see in the European play-off finals
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Italy
- If Bosnia-Herzegovina are to qualify for only their second ever World Cup, they will need to beat Italy for the first time since 1996.
- Four-time winners Italy are at risk of missing a third straight World Cup, having previously failed to qualify just once between 1934 and 2014.
Bosnia-Herzegovina booked their place in the play-off final against Italy after a dramatic late equaliser against Wales – scored by Edin Dzeko, who has now netted in 20 consecutive years for his country – before holding their nerve in a penalty shootout. Italy, meanwhile, progressed slightly more comfortably with a 2-0 home win over Northern Ireland.
The countries will now lock horns at the Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica (Bosnia) for the chance to join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in Group B. Italy have won four of the six meetings between the nations – all in competitive clashes – while Bosnia-Herzegovina’s sole triumph came in a friendly back in 1996.
Both countries have been absent from the World Cup since 2014. Bosnia-Herzegovina are one game away from just their second appearance, while four-time winners Italy are desperate to avoid missing a third consecutive tournament – an unthinkable scenario for a nation that qualified for 17 of 18 World Cups between 1934 and 2014.
Remarkably, the Azzurri have only won one World Cup match – against England in 2014 – since they were crowned champions for the fourth time in 2006.
Sweden vs Poland
- If Sweden win, Graham Potter will be the only English manager at the 2026 World Cup.
- Robert Lewandowski needs one more goal to become the outright fifth top goalscorer in the history of international football.
There could still be an English manager at the 2026 World Cup after Graham Potter led Sweden to a 3-1 win over Ukraine thanks to a Viktor Gyokeres hat-trick. This has set up a crunch final against Poland, who came from behind to beat Albania 2-1. The victor will be placed into Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.
Sweden missed out on World Cup 2022, while they’ve only appeared in one World Cup (2018) since 2006. Potter – unless there are any late changes – will be the only English manager at the World Cup if Sweden overcome Poland (English-born New Zealand manager Darren Bazeley changed citizenship to NZ in 2015), who they’ve beaten in six of the last seven encounters.
Robert Lewandowski’s equaliser for Poland in their semi-final tie propelled his tally to a stunning 89 goals for his country: leaving Cristiano Ronaldo as the only European player to have scored more international goals. Lewandowski now needs one more goal to become the outright fifth top goalscorer in international football (currently tied with Romelu Lukaku and Mokhtar Dahari on 89 goals).
Kosovo vs Turkey
- Kosovo are bidding to make history by progressing through to their first ever World Cup.
- Turkey are attempting to qualify for their first World Cup since finishing third in 2002.
The Path C final will see Kosovo take on Turkey, with the winners booking their place in Group D alongside the United States, Paraguay, and Australia.
Kosovo, a nation of just 1.6 million people, edged past Slovakia in a thrilling 4-3 victory in Bratislava to move within one win of a historic first-ever World Cup. Standing in their way are Turkey, who progressed via a narrow 1-0 win over Romania.
Turkey are aiming to end a long World Cup drought, having not appeared at the finals since their superb third-place finish in 2002, which remains their only participation in the last 72 years since their debut back in 1954.
The head-to-head record heavily favours Turkey, who have won all three previous meetings by scorelines of 6-1, 2-0, and 4-1. However, Kosovo will take confidence from their stunning win away to Slovakia and the fact they are hosting the final on home soil in Pristina.
Czech Republic vs Denmark
- Czech Republic are bidding to extend their unbeaten home streak to 18 matches as they chase a first World Cup appearance in 20 years.
- Denmark will look to extend their unbeaten streak in this fixture to eight matches as they attempt to qualify for three straight World Cups for the first time.
Czech Republic lock horns with Denmark in the Path D final, the winner of which goes into Group A with Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea.
The Czechs kept their World Cup dream alive in dramatic fashion, fighting back from two goals down to draw with the Republic of Ireland before edging a 4-3 win on penalties; leaving them one victory away from a first appearance in 20 years.
Set pieces have been a major weapon for the Czech Republic who have now scored a European-high eight goals from such situations (excluding penalties) during qualifying. Combined with a formidable home record – unbeaten in their last 17 matches in all competitions (W13 D4) – they will be full of confidence heading into Tuesday’s showdown in Prague.
Denmark make the trip over on the back of a 4-0 demolition of North Macedonia. The Danes are aiming to reach a third consecutive World Cup for the first time and boast a seven-game unbeaten run against the Czechs stretching back to 2004.
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