#2026-world-cup-qualification

#2026-world-cup-qualification

In a post on Instagram, Kluivert described his time in charge as an unforgettable journey. He added: Even though I'm deeply disappointed and sorry for the fact that we didn't make it to the World Cup, I'll always be proud of what we built together. The defeats against Saudi Arabia and Iraq were bitter lessons, but also reminders of how high our shared dreams are. As head coach, I take full responsibility.

"It seems like life owed me a World Cup, and fortunately, today I got it," Lopetegui, 59, said. "It's a reward that I'm grateful for."

Italy kept alive their faint hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup as they beat Israel 3-0 despite an underwhelming display in Udine. In front of a paltry crowd of around 9,000 in Udinese's 25,000-capacity Stadio Friuli, Gennaro Gattuso's team found the victory they needed but not a performance to inspire confidence ahead their meeting with group leaders Norway in November. Mateo Retegui scored a brace, the first a penalty in added time at the end of the first half before finally settling his team's nerves with a lovely curling finish in the 74th minute.

Qatar qualified for football's 2026 World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over the United Arab Emirates thanks to second-half headers from Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel. It marks the first time that Qatar, which lost all three group-stage games when it hosted the 2022 tournament, has advanced through qualification. The victory put Qatar atop Group A in the fourth round of Asian qualification, ahead of the second-place United Arab Emirates (UAE), which now moves on to the fifth round and playoffs.

Although Thomas Tuchel was disappointed not to see his England side build on a three-goal lead against Wales on Thursday, he was impressed with the performance of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The Everton shot-stopper wrote his name into the history books after his clean sheet against Wales at Wembley Stadium, becoming the first England goalkeeper to go eight consecutive games without conceding a goal for the Three Lions.

Haaland doubled Norway's lead with a right-footed finish after Anan Khalaili's own goal had given the hosts the lead. Another own goal, this time from Idan Nachmias, made it 3-0 as Peretz's clearance rebounded off the defender and into the net. Haaland then made history with a pair of headers to complete his hat-trick, the Manchester City striker reaching 51 goals in 46 appearances for his country.

Salah's Egypt are the leaders in Group A of the CAF qualifying process for next summer's World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico. They have won six of their eight games so far and drawn the other two, putting them on 20 points with a handy five-point lead over second-placed Burkina Faso. Victory against Djibouti will mathematically guarantee their ticket to the World Cup.

The Czech Republic is one of the major footballing nations in Europe and tend to do well in qualifiers. They have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals since 2006, but they have played in the UEFA European Championships since 1996. The Czech Republic reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2020 and the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 2004. Ivan Hasek's side have done well in UEFA Group L so far.

When you play for the Socceroos, it's an international, it's a cap that you can get. And if you ask any of these young boys that could debut now whether it matters to them if it's a friendly or not, I'm sure they say no. So we have to take this game very seriously. We're excited that we're playing New Zealand. We know how big that rivalry is in all our codes, so this should be no different. And also, congratulations to them. They've made the World Cup. So we're playing a World Cup opponent.

Kieffer Moore gave Wales the lead in the 24th minute when he poked home on the rebound after Liam Cullen's header was kept out by Temirlan Anarbekov. Kazakhstan responded well, though, with Galymzhan Kenzhebek curling narrowly wide in the 39th minute before seeing an effort tipped onto the crossbar by Karl Darlow six minutes into the second half. Kenzhebek went close again eight minutes later, and Maxim Samordov was also thwarted by Darlow as the hosts continued to pile on the pressure.