World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Europe starts to heat up

While other regions have completed or are nearing the end of their 2026 World Cup qualifying rounds, the race in Europe is heating up.

Germany (right) faces difficulties in the race with Slovakia - Photo: REUTERS

Before the international matches in October, many European giants were in a difficult situation after the first matches. Most notably Italy and Germany. In Group A, Germany only had 3 points, 3 points behind the top team Slovakia. However, they still had some hope because in this group there was also Northern Ireland - a team capable of stopping Slovakia.

Northern Ireland and Slovakia will face each other in this round. And this brings hope to the German team. As long as Northern Ireland can control their opponents, Nagelsmann and his team will have hope to regain the top spot in the second leg. Of course, the necessary condition is that the German team must win completely.

The hope of the German team is something that the Italian team cannot have even if they want to. In Group I, Italy is 6 points behind Norway (but has played 1 less match), along with being far behind in terms of goal difference as well as head-to-head record (lost 0-3 to Norway in the first leg). Not only that, this group is too uneven when no team is strong enough to stop Norway. And although the qualifying round is only halfway through, the Italian team is almost out of chances to win the top spot.

Other teams must also be careful to avoid making mistakes. In Group D, France won all 2 matches and has 6 points. But in this group there are 2 representatives of good level of Europe: Ukraine and Iceland. Just one loss, France can fall to second place in the group.

Similarly, in group E, Spain showed overwhelming strength, but the remaining 3 teams in the group cannot be underestimated: Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria.

In Group F, Portugal has an easier time as Hungary and Ireland will have a hard time competing with them. But in Group G, the Netherlands and Poland are entering an extremely dramatic race.

The Netherlands are currently level on 10 points with Poland, and have played one game less. However, the Netherlands still have one match left against Poland in the return leg. They need to win all their remaining games to stay safe in the race for a World Cup ticket.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vong-loai-world-cup-2026-chau-au-bat-dau-nong-20251009102024719.htm