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World Cup Qualifying for 2026

UEFA Playoffs
Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland
Sweden 3-1 Ukraine (Viktor Gyökeres hat-trick)
Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia
Poland 2-1 Albania
Turkey 1-0 Romania
Kosovo 4-3 Slovakia
Czechia 2-2 Ireland (Czechia advance on penalties 4-3)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Wales (BH advance on penalties 4-2)

Here's the four finals on Tuesday night:
Bosnia vs Italy
Sweden vs Poland
Kosovo vs Turkey
Czechia vs Denmark

Remaining qualifying playoffs
Bolivia 2-1 Suriname
Jamaica 1-0 New Caledonia

Again on Tuesday, Bolivia advance to play Iraq (given a bye to the finals in Monterrey, Mexico) while Jamaica play DR Congo (also given a bye to the finals in Guadalajara, Mexico)

12 teams, 6 matches, 6 remaining qualifiers to advance.
 
Final six qualifiers were

Bosnia 1-1 Italy (Bosnia advances 4-1 on penalties)
Sweden 3-2 Poland (Viktor Gyokeres scores match winner in the 88th minute)
Kosovo 0-1 Turkiye
Czechia 2-2 Denmark (Czechia advances 3-1 on penalties)
Jamaica 0-1 DR Congo (AET on 101' goal by Axel Tuanzebe)
Bolivia 2-1 Iraq

I had ViX to watch Czechia v Denmark, then turned on Fox 1 to watch end of Bosnia v Italy. Then I watched parts of both halves and most of extra time of Jamaica match. Two Euro matches were gripping; only ET was for DR Congo/Jamaica.

Sweden didn't win a single match in qualifying but were playoff bound because of how they did in Nations League. 🤷

And finally, Italy understandably sacked Genaro Gattuso after they failed to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup. 😳
 
Ed H in Pasadena said:
And finally, Italy understandably sacked Genaro Gattuso after they failed to qualify for the third consecutive World Cup. 😳
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I thought they might literally fire him into the sun. The anger in Italy over their repeated failures to qualify for the World Cup have reached emergency levels.

For whatever fading interest I have in the US campaign, getting Turkey in their Group ain’t good news. That side is perfectly capable of nipping points off of the Americans.
 
Dick Advocaat resigned as Curaçao’s coach in February due to his daughter’s health issues. She recovered and he’s back with the team, he’ll be the oldest coach in World Cup history.

So the oldest coach leads the smallest country. They’re in a group with Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
 
Algeria are in Lawrence Kansas, which is NOT in Kansas City last time I checked. UK has a campus in KC, but it’s a medical campus.
And why does FIFA insist on the ridiculous charade that Rutgers, Stockton and the Pendry School are in something called New York New Jersey? If I was from Jersey, I’d be … something. Probably used to it, I guess.

Also, Iraq are at the freaking Greenbrier? That’s the middle of bloody nowhere. Congrats. Luxury in the sticks. It’s the American dream.
 
jeffbear said:
Algeria are in Lawrence Kansas, which is NOT in Kansas City last time I checked. UK has a campus in KC, but it’s a medical campus.
And why does FIFA insist on the ridiculous charade that Rutgers, Stockton and the Pendry School are in something called New York New Jersey? If I was from Jersey, I’d be … something. Probably used to it, I guess.

Also, Iraq are at the freaking Greenbrier? That’s the middle of bloody nowhere. Congrats. Luxury in the sticks. It’s the American dream.
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I grew up in New Jersey. I’m used to it.

The Pingry School is in horse country (yes, New Jersey has horse country. Jackie Onassis owned a horse farm near the school ). Stockton is closer to Philly than New York, it’s just north of Atlantic City.
 
andyt said:
I grew up in New Jersey. I’m used to it.

The Pingry School is in horse country (yes, New Jersey has horse country. Jackie Onassis owned a horse farm near the school ). Stockton is closer to Philly than New York, it’s just north of Atlantic City.
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Yeah, that was a later thought … shouldn’t that be “Pennsylvania New Jersey?”
 
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