The quintet of Turkey, DR Congo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden and Czechia have secured World Cup berths, Yankee Scores reports.
Ten matches played on Tuesday, March 31. The final slot will be determined today, April 1st, when Iraq take on Bolivia in the last play-off match.
European Playoffs
FIFA split the European qualification playoffs into four paths, with each producing one World Cup qualifier.
Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the mundial after beating former champions, Italy on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Bosnia had earlier pipped Craig Bellamy’s Wales on penalties in the semi-finals, while Italy edged past Northern Ireland. It is now three consecutive world cup misses for Italian side.
Sweden advanced to the World Cup following a 3-2 win over Poland in the final, having earlier defeated Ukraine in the semi-finals.
Turkey progressed with a 1-0 victory against Kosovo. The Turkish team had earlier beaten Romania.
Czechia defeated Denmark on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the final. Denmark, who trailed throughout the game, had penalties to blame after thrashing North Macedonia in their semi-final, while Czechia had defeated the Republic of Ireland via another penalty shootout.
Intercontinental Playoffs
In the intercontinental playoff, the Democratic Republic of Congo pipped Jamaica by 1-0 in Zapopan, Mexico. The African team earned their first World Cup appearance since 1974. Axel Tuanzebe’s lone goal proved decisive for the Leopards to qualify for the World Cup. The Reggae Boys last qualified for the mundial in 1998. Africa now has ten world cup slots.
What’s next?
Attention now turns to Bolivia vs Iraq to complete the puzzle. Bolivia is through to the final following its 2-1 victory over Suriname and now awaits Iraq in a decisive fixture scheduled for April 1.
