The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals is reaching a thrilling crescendo, with the majority of Europe's footballing heavyweights on the verge of confirming their spots in the expanded 48-team tournament. In the next three days, nations like France, Norway, Portugal, Croatia, Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain are aiming to officially punch their tickets to the World Cup tournament in North America next June-July.
With Argentina already having qualified means that Messi has the option to play in the World Cup next year. It would be a shock if he missed it, as he still plays competitively for Inter Miami in the US Major League Soccer. His biggest rival in his carer has always been Christiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s departure to Saudi Arabia at the start of 2023 signaled the end of an era: a termination of the great rivalry between the Portuguese player and Lionel Messi that has shaped the UEFA Champions League over 15 years. Unfortunately for Ronaldo, Messi did win a World Cup and Ronaldo did not. But they may still meet one more time at the World Cup net year and Ronaldo could rewrite the ending. Their story is not over.
The new big rivalry in Europe is between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. The two heavyweights are still young but they have taken the Champions League by storm since they made their competition debuts in 2016 and 2019 respectively, rewriting the record books right from the off. Kylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the France national team. Widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation, he is known for his dribbling, finishing, and speed. Haaland is a viking from Norway. No, seriously, he is big and strong and fast, and he looks like a viking. And he is still just 24 years old, but is already joint 12th in the list of all-time European Cup scorers. Meanwhile Mbappé, 26 years old, is 9th.
Haaland has scored 52 goals in 54 appearances, with 5 assists and 2 hat-tricks. Mbappé has 60 goals in 91 appearances, a lower goal average, but he has 24 assists and 4 hat-tricks. Mbappé may be the more complete player, but, again, Haaland is….a viking. They have each changed clubs along the way. Mbappé helped Monaco to the semi-finals in his debut season and racked up the goals for Paris Saint-Germain before his summer move to Real Madrid, for whom he scored on his Champions League debut. Haaland has played in the competition for Salzburg, Dortmund and now Manchester City. Of course, only one has won a Champions League so far. Mbappé was a losing finalist in 2020 and has also twice reached the last four; Haaland, meanwhile, lifted the famous trophy with City in the 2022/23 campaign. The debate already rages over who is the better player. The World Cup may go a long way to helping decide this rivalry, or crystallize it.
They both play for their respective nations in qualifying tomorrow. Kylian Mbappé is set to lead the charge for his country. A win for France in their match against Ukraine tomorrow will seal their place at the 2026 World Cup. The 2-time champions, having lifted the trophy in 1998 and again in 2018, and finishing as runners-up in 2006 and 2022, are seeking to maintain their recent dominant form. Mbappé’s presence alone is expected to secure the deal for Les Bleus.
Meanwhile, Norway faces Estonia with a realistic chance of progressing. Norway's World Cup history is sparse, with only 3 appearances to date in 1938, 1994, and 1998, where their best result was reaching the Round of 16. Their current proximity to qualification, largely thanks to the phenomenal goal-scoring of Erling Haaland, would mark their first finals appearance since the late 90s. With an astonishing goal difference, a win should effectively book their trip.
Portugal also play tomorrow and that means Cristiano Ronaldo should be in action. If he does, he will be a key player for his country in their match against the Republic of Ireland. Portugal has participated in the World Cup 8 times, with their best results being a third-place finish in 1966 and a fourth-place finish in 2006. Ronaldo, chasing a record 6th World Cup appearance, could achieve yet another stunning milestone; a victory or a draw coupled with other results will see his nation qualify.
On Friday, the spotlight falls on a crucial matchup for the Netherlands against Poland. The Oranje hold the unenviable record of the most World Cup Final appearances without a win, having finished as runners-up on three occasions in 1974, 1978, and 2010. They also secured a third-place finish in 2014. With the leadership of Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool Captain, the Netherlands can all but secure their spot with a victory, which would be a crucial step after missing out in 2018.
Also on Friday, Croatia can seal their top spot by avoiding a shock home defeat against the Faroe Islands. Since gaining independence, Croatia has been remarkably successful, reaching the finals 6 times and securing 3 podium finishes: third place in their debut in 1998 and again in 2022, and a runners-up finish in 2018. The hopeful presence of the ageless maestro, Luka Modrić, will be a key factor as they seek to confirm their place.
Saturday features two more major qualification attempts. Belgium needs a win over Kazakhstan to qualify. Having finished 3rd in the 2018 World Cup, which is their best-ever result, Belgium has participated in the tournament 14 times, making their first appearance in the inaugural event in 1930. The team's creative engine, Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli, formerly Manchester City), is expected to lead their charge in securing a comfortable victory.
Finally, Spain faces Georgia. Spain is one of only 8 nations to have won the World Cup, achieving their sole victory in 2010. Their best result before that was a 4-place finish in 1950. La Roja can qualify with a win coupled with Turkey dropping points against Bulgaria. The future of the squad is already bright with the inclusion of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal from Barcelona, who is already considered one of the world's best. Even if he is rested for one of Spain's final games, his presence represents the talent pool driving Spain forward.
There are other matches being played too over the next few days, but they likely won't yield a result for any one team. Those brackets will be finalized next week.
In contrast to the teams above that could all qualify for 2026 in the next few days, Italy is a fallen giant. The Azzurri, remains one of the most successful nations in FIFA World Cup history, having won the title four times, a total only surpassed by Brazil (5). Italy lifted the trophy in 1934 (as hosts), 1938 (becoming the first team to successfully defend the title), 1982, and most recently in 2006. They were also beaten finalists twice, in 1970 and 1994, losing both times to Brazil. Despite their glorious history, the Azzurri are currently facing an unprecedented period of failure. Their last appearance in the FIFA World Cup finals was in 2014. They failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament and, shockingly, missed out again on 2022. The upcoming 2026 World Cup campaign is critical, and they face a steep climb just to secure a spot, currently trailing Norway in their group by a significant goal difference, which likely means they will have to navigate the perilous play-off route once more. Haaland could seal their fate tomorrow and force them to wait until March to qualify for the World Cup. Italy play Moldova on Thursday and their nemesis, Norway, on Sunday.
Despite the likely outcomes, anything could happen in the remaining qualifying matches. All we know for certain is, as of today, England is the only team from Europe that is certain to be at the World Cup finals. But many more UEFA teams will join them very soon. These next few days promise high drama as Europe's best teams aim to finalize their participation at the world’s biggest show.
