"So far, England and France, two perennial tournament favorites, have won their groups handily-the former allowed zero goals in eight matches, and the latter's only blemish on its record was a draw against Iceland in October-and Portugal and Croatia, two teams with plenty of recent international success, have also secured their spots without need for a playoff triumph. Elsewhere, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands should seal up qualification in their final group matches later this week."
"Norway has now stomped its way into the 2026 World Cup, its first time getting back to the big show since 1998. Along the way, the Scandinavians racked up a perfect record of dominance: eight matches, eight wins, and a plus-32 goal difference (the highest in the qualifiers, and tied for the highest per-match goal difference ever in European qualifying). Norway can now book their flights to North America with the knowledge that they are one of the scariest teams in the competition."
England and France secured comfortable group victories, with England conceding zero goals in eight matches and France dropping only a draw to Iceland. Portugal and Croatia also qualified directly after recent international success. Spain, Germany and the Netherlands are expected to finish qualification in their remaining matches. Norway reached the 2026 World Cup after a 4-1 comeback win over Italy, recording eight wins and a plus-32 goal difference, the highest in qualifying and tied for the highest per-match European mark. Norway's group featured weaker opponents, while Italy's failure to qualify remains a notable surprise given its talent depth.
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