England, Portugal, and Norway are steadily advancing towards securing their spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in the next two qualifying rounds, while several other European teams hope to guarantee their qualification for the global event.

Norway may be just one win away from qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, which could leave the Italian team threatened with 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 their goal has not been breached in five qualifying matches so far.

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

England leads the group by seven points over Albania with three rounds remaining, while Serbia is third with an additional point but has a game in hand.

The Serbia match saw the emergence of several players who were not previously first-choice options, prompting Tuchel to exclude big names like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish from his latest squad.

Tuchel, who will lead England in a friendly against Wales today, said, “Keep the pressure on. The decision concerns this camp only. The September camp was the best for us 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 Aiming for Seventh Consecutive Participation

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

Portugal scored eight goals in their first two qualifying matches, including three by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, the Al Nassr striker.

Portugal is seeking to qualify for the World Cup for the seventh consecutive time.

Norway Nearing the Finals

Norway started the qualifiers perfectly, scoring 24 goals in five consecutive matches, bringing them close to reaching the finals.

Erling Haaland, Manchester City striker who has yet to participate in a major tournament, has scored nine goals in the group so far, including five in the crushing 11-1 win over Moldova in the last match.

However, the Norwegian team will miss their captain Martin Ødegaard after he suffered a knee injury 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 thinking constructively.”

Italy to Avoid the Playoffs

The Italian team, four-time world champions, will be keen to avoid the playoffs after losing in that stage in the 2018 and 2022 qualifiers to Sweden and North Macedonia consecutively.

Italy faces Estonia in Tallinn on Saturday.

The Italian team last month won 5-4 against Israel in a tense match held in Hungary, where Israel plays its home games.

France, winner of the 2018 World Cup and runner-up in 2022, can also 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 both Georgia and Bulgaria, but this also requires certain results in Group 5.

Croatia and Switzerland may also clinch qualification next week.

Meanwhile, Germany has little margin for error in Group 1 after a surprising loss to Slovakia in their first qualifying match.

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