World Cup Play-Offs: Final Six Spots Near as Nations Battle for Qualification
The identities of the final six qualifiers for this summer's FIFA World Cup became significantly clearer on Thursday, with crucial play-off semi-finals unfolding across Europe and Mexico. Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Wales each endured heartbreaking exits after failing to advance from their respective semi-finals, definitively ending their hopes of joining the 48-team tournament.
European Contenders Advance to Decisive Ties
The dream remains very much alive for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Kosovo, and Turkey. These eight nations will compete across four high-stakes ties next week to determine UEFA's last representatives in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer. Meanwhile, Mexico is currently hosting the intercontinental play-offs, where DR Congo, Jamaica, Bolivia, and Iraq are each just one victory away from securing their World Cup berths.
While numerous Premier League stars are making their cases for World Cup selection during this international break, a closer examination reveals those still battling to ensure their nation features at the global spectacle.
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy
The pressure is firmly on Italy as the Azzurri aim to avoid missing a third consecutive World Cup. Gennaro Gattuso's side finished as runners-up behind Norway in their qualification group, once again seeing their World Cup fate decided in a play-off. Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori, and Newcastle's Sandro Tonali were in action on Thursday as Italy secured a 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland to advance to a final against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tonali was central to the semi-final triumph, scoring Italy's opening goal and then assisting Moise Kean for the clinching second. Should Italy advance, Tottenham duo Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie would hope to make the squad alongside Liverpool's Federico Chiesa. Vicario, recovering from a hernia operation, was among Italian players seen celebrating as Bosnia overcame Wales on penalties.
It remains uncertain whether Bosnia will prove an easier proposition than Craig Bellamy's Wales side. Bosnia lack Premier League representation but feature notable names like former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, now 40, who scored their equaliser, and Hull City's Amir Hadziahmetovic, a scorer in their penalty shoot-out win. The winner will join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in their World Cup group.
Sweden vs Poland
Sweden are one step from the World Cup despite finishing bottom of their qualifying group with just two points from six matches. Under Graham Potter's management, their play-off participation stems from their Nations League ranking. Potter's squad is stacked with Premier League talent, and they owe their place in next week's final to Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres, who scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 semi-final win over Ukraine.
Aston Villa’s Victor Lindelof, Leeds’ Gabriel Gudmundsson, Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall, Brighton’s Yasin Ayari, and Newcastle’s Anthony Elanga also featured. Star names like Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski remain sidelined with injuries, hoping their team qualifies in their absence. In contrast, Aston Villa's Matty Cash is the sole Premier League representative in Poland's squad, which seeks a third straight World Cup appearance, potentially Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski's final major tournament. The winner will face the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.
Kosovo vs Turkey
Limited Premier League representation will be on show when Kosovo and Turkey meet in their play-off final. However, one player had a major impact in the semi-final: Brighton's Ferdi Kadioglu scored the only goal in Turkey's 1-0 victory over Romania, latching onto a superb cross from Real Madrid's Arda Guler. Manchester United's Altay Bayindir was on the bench.
Guler is the star attraction for Turkey, with the 21-year-old determined to drag his nation to the finals. Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu remains captain and key to their chances. Kosovo, bidding for a maiden World Cup, have no Premier League players. The winner will join the United States, Paraguay, and Australia.
Czech Republic vs Denmark
The Czech Republic's two Premier League stars played vital roles in their semi-final against the Republic of Ireland. Newly appointed captain Ladislav Krejci won a penalty, leading to a 2-1 deficit reduction, then scored a late equaliser to force extra-time and netted their first penalty in a shoot-out win. West Ham's Tomas Soucek, stripped of the captaincy after a loss to the Faroe Islands, came off the bench at half-time and scored in the 4-3 shoot-out victory.
Soucek's West Ham team-mate Mads Hermansen will line up for Denmark in their play-off final. Hermansen made his national team debut in a 4-0 semi-final win over North Macedonia, with Kasper Schmeichel injured. Arsenal’s Christian Norgaard and Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard also started. Denmark’s potential squad could include Fulham’s Joachim Andersen, Brentford’s Mathias Jensen, Newcastle’s Will Osula, Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu, Brighton’s Matt O’Riley, and Burnley’s Jacob Bruun Larsen, alongside Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund. The winner will join Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea.
Intercontinental Play-Offs: DR Congo vs Jamaica
DR Congo have taken a long route to become Africa's 10th and final representative. After finishing as group runners-up, Sebastien Desabre's side beat Cameroon 1-0 in November, then earned a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Nigeria in a continental play-off final, just to qualify for the intercontinental play-offs in Mexico. Their squad includes West Ham's Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Burnley's Axel Tuanzebe, Sunderland's Noah Sadiki, and Newcastle's Yoane Wissa.
DR Congo will face Jamaica, who beat New Caledonia 1-0 in their semi-final. Jamaica's squad includes Aston Villa's Leon Bailey and Brentford's Ethan Pinnock among 14 English-based players bidding for a second World Cup appearance. The winner will join Portugal, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.
Bolivia vs Iraq
The only Premier League player involved in this pathway saw their hopes dashed. Leeds' Joel Piroe made his Suriname debut in a semi-final against Bolivia, but after leading 1-0, Suriname conceded twice late to lose 2-1. Bolivia will instead face Iraq, who feature Luton Town's Ali Al-Hamadi.
Bolivia aim for their first World Cup since 1994 and fourth overall, while Iraq hope for a second appearance after featuring in 1986. The winner will join France, Senegal, and Norway.
