England, Portugal, and Norway are steadily advancing towards securing their spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, scheduled for next summer in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, during the upcoming qualification rounds. Several other European teams also hope to guarantee their participation in the global event.

Norway may be just one win away from qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since their 1998 France appearance, which could leave Italy at risk of missing the World Cup for the third consecutive time.

England, led by German coach Thomas Tuchel, delivered a strong performance last month with a resounding 5-0 victory over Serbia in Belgrade, and have yet to concede a goal in five qualification matches so far.

The “Three Lions” will not play again in Group 11 until Tuesday, when a win against Latvia in Riga will secure their official qualification for next year’s finals in the US, Mexico, and Canada, provided Serbia does not beat Albania next Saturday.

England leads the group by 7 points over Albania with three rounds remaining, while Serbia is third with one additional point but has a postponed match.

The Serbia match saw the emergence of several players who were not previously regular choices, prompting Tuchel to exclude big names like Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, Phil Foden of Manchester City, and Jack Grealish of Everton from his latest squad.

Tuchel, who will lead England in a friendly against Wales on Thursday, said, “They kept the pressure. The decision concerns this camp only. The September camp was our best in terms of team spirit and teamwork, so we decided to invite the same group to consolidate what we built.”

The Serbia vs. Albania match could be decisive in determining which team finishes second and qualifies for the playoffs.

Portugal Eyes Seventh Consecutive World Cup

Portugal could qualify this month if they win their next two matches against Ireland and Hungary, unless Armenia wins against the same teams in Group 6.

Portugal scored 8 goals in their first two qualification matches, including three by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, striker for Saudi club Al-Nassr.

Portugal aims to qualify for the World Cup for the seventh consecutive time.

Norway Nears World Cup

Norway started the qualifiers perfectly, scoring 24 goals in 5 consecutive matches, edging closer to the finals.

Erling Haaland, Manchester City striker who has yet to participate in a major tournament, has scored 9 goals in the group so far, including 5 in the recent 11-1 thrashing of Moldova.

Norway hosts Israel on Saturday, knowing a win will return them to the World Cup after 28 years if Italy fails to beat Estonia or Israel in Group 9.

However, Norway will miss captain Martin Ødegaard due to a knee injury sustained while playing for Arsenal last weekend.

Coach Ståle Solbakken said, “We lost our captain, and we have to live with that. Of course, we feel anger and frustration, but we must quickly move on to constructive thinking.”

Italy Seeks to Avoid Playoff Nightmare

Four-time world champion Italy is keen to avoid the playoffs after losing in that stage in the 2018 and 2022 qualifiers to Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively.

Italy faces Estonia in Tallinn on Saturday, but all eyes will be on the following match against Israel in Udine next Thursday.

Last month, Italy defeated Israel 5-4 in a tense match held in Hungary, where Israel plays its home games.

France, 2018 World Cup winner and 2022 runner-up, can secure qualification with wins over Azerbaijan and Iceland, provided the Iceland-Ukraine match ends in a draw.

European champion Spain aims to secure its ticket to the finals by winning against Georgia and Bulgaria, but this also depends on certain results in Group 5.

Croatia and Switzerland may also clinch qualification next week.

Meanwhile, Germany has little room for error in Group 1 after a surprising loss to Slovakia in their first World Cup qualifier.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team faces Luxembourg on Friday before heading to Windsor Park to face Northern Ireland three days later.