LONDON, Oct 8 (The African Portal) – England and Portugal are closing in on qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with both sides well placed to secure top spots in their respective European qualifying groups with two matches to spare.
Several other nations, including Norway, are also on the verge of reaching the finals, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England dominant under Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel’s England have been in imperious form, winning all five qualifiers without conceding a goal. Their emphatic 5–0 victory over Serbia in Belgrade last month underlined their dominance in Group K.
England will not be in action again until Tuesday, when a win against Latvia in Riga could seal their place at next year’s finals — provided Serbia fail to beat Albania on Saturday.
Tuchel’s side lead the group by seven points over Albania, with Serbia a point further back but holding a game in hand.
Several fringe players impressed in the win over Serbia, prompting Tuchel to omit high-profile names including Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish from his latest squad.
“Keep on pushing,” Tuchel said when asked about those left out. “This decision is for this camp. The last one was our best yet in terms of team spirit and teamwork, so we decided to stick with that group to build more stability.”
England will face Wales in a friendly on Thursday as part of their preparations.
Portugal eye seventh straight World Cup
Portugal, meanwhile, can also secure qualification during this international window. Roberto Martínez’s side have made a blistering start, scoring eight goals in their first two matches in September.
They will qualify automatically if they defeat the Republic of Ireland on Saturday and Hungary on Tuesday — unless Armenia win both of their fixtures against the same opponents.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored three goals last month, including one in a tense 3–2 win over Hungary, is targeting a record-equalling sixth World Cup appearance.
Norway on the verge of breaking 28-year drought
Norway are within touching distance of their first World Cup since 1998 after winning five consecutive qualifiers, scoring 24 goals in the process.
Erling Haaland has been instrumental, netting nine goals so far, including five in an 11–1 thrashing of Moldova.
Victory at home to Israel on Saturday would confirm their qualification if Italy fail to win either of their matches against Estonia or Israel in Group I.
However, Norway will be without captain Martin Ødegaard, who suffered a knee injury while playing for Arsenal.
“We’ve lost our captain and have to live with that,” said coach Ståle Solbakken. “You get angry and upset at first, but then you move on and think constructively.”
Pressure mounts on Italy
Four-time champions Italy face another tense qualification campaign after missing the last two World Cups. They must avoid the play-offs this time, having been eliminated at that stage by Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2021.
Elsewhere, France could confirm qualification with wins over Azerbaijan and Iceland if Iceland draw with Ukraine. European champions Spain also have a chance to book their ticket, though they need favourable results elsewhere in Group E alongside victories over Georgia and Bulgaria.
Croatia and Switzerland could also secure qualification in the coming week.
Germany seek recovery after early setback
Germany, meanwhile, face a more difficult route after a shock opening defeat to Slovakia in Group A. Julian Nagelsmann’s side will look to recover when they host Luxembourg on Friday before travelling to Northern Ireland on Monday.
