With the Premier League putting its break on hold for international qualifiers, all eyes are on the next round of fixtures. England impressed in Belgrade, while Northern Ireland and Wales both played important group games.
The race to the 2026 World Cup is underway around the globe with a host of countries looking to secure one of six direct qualifying spots and two intercontinental play-off berths allocated to their respective regions. Here’s how the competition is shaping up in each of the confederations.
In Europe, qualifying officially kicked off on March 21 when the 55 European nations not involved in UEFA’s Nations League entered the initial phase of their campaign. The 12 groups of four or five teams will play home-and-away round-robin matches until November, when the top two finishers in each group qualify for the finals. The two runners-up advance to a two-legged playoff in November to determine the other direct qualifier.
The lowest-ranked countries in Concacaf entered a new format for this round, with the four lowest nations competing in a two-legged tie to decide which will be placed in Round 2. The winner and runner-up from this round will join the winners of the other three groups at the finals.
South Korea’s 2-0 win in Iraq on Thursday was enough to see them qualify from this group, ensuring they will be the fifth team from this stage of the competition. Uzbekistan’s 1-0 victory over Qatar also booked their first-ever World Cup appearance, while Iran and the UAE will move on to Round 4. The remaining six teams will enter a two-legged playoff in October to determine the last of the four direct qualifiers from this region.