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Portugal and Norway clinched direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, capping a dramatic matchweek 10 of European qualifying that saw five nations book their tickets to the expanded tournament while five others advanced to the playoff round.
Portugal dominated Armenia 9-1 at Porto's Dragao Stadium to seal top spot in Group F with 13 points. Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes each scored hat-tricks in the rout, with Renato Veiga, Goncalo Ramos and Francisco Conceicao adding single goals. Eduard Spertsyan netted Armenia's lone consolation.
Norway's 4-1 home victory over Italy secured the Scandinavian nation's first World Cup appearance since 1998. The result gave Norway 24 points atop Group I, finishing six points clear of the Italians, who were relegated to the playoff round despite their strong qualifying history.
England completed an unblemished qualifying campaign in Group K, defeating Albania 2-0 to finish with eight wins from eight matches without conceding a goal. The result sent Albania into the playoffs while confirming England's place at the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Republic of Ireland secured their playoff berth with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Hungary at the Puskas Arena, with Troy Parrott scoring the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Ireland finished second in Group F with 10 points, three behind Portugal.
Ukraine joined the playoff field by defeating Iceland 2-0 in Group D, with Trabzonspor midfielder Oleksandr Zubkov among the goalscorers. The victory earned Ukraine second place in a group topped by France, who defeated Azerbaijan 3-1.
Croatia, England, France, Portugal and Norway secured automatic qualification by winning their respective groups. The playoff round will feature Albania, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, the Republic of Ireland and Italy competing for the remaining European berths.
In other Group I action, Israel defeated Moldova 4-1, while Serbia edged Latvia 2-1 in Group K.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first edition to feature 48 teams, up from the current 32-team format, with Europe allocated 16 qualifying spots.
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