*Tunisia Yet To Concede In 8 Qualifiers, Morocco, Have Qualified
By Louise Taylor
Forty-eight teams will participate in next summer’s World Cup, with the hosts, Canada, Mexico and the United States (US), granted automatic entry.
A further 43 places are determined by qualifying competitions from the six global confederations and the remaining two will be decided at March’s six-team intercontinental playoffs in Monterrey and Guadalajara.
After this month’s internationals, 18 counties have places booked. The draw is due to take place on December 5 this year at Washington’s Kennedy Center.
Africa
The winners of the nine qualifying groups gain automatic entry and the FOUR BEST RUNNERS-UP WILL COMPETE IN NOVEMBER’S PAN-AFRICAN PLAYOFFS FOR ONE PLACE IN THE INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYOFFS (capital letters our’s).
Playoffs are something Morocco, semi-finalists at Qatar 2022, and Tunisia, who have not conceded a goal in eight qualifiers, do not need to worry about having already qualified.
Egypt top their group, but must wait at least another month to confirm a berth after being held 0-0 by Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou.
If Pharaohs fans were disappointed by Mohamed Salah’s subdued performance, Manchester City supporters will be alarmed by the knee injury that forced off his fellow forward Omar Marmoush after nine minutes.
Cape Verde are one win from qualifying for their first World Cup after beating Cameroon 1-0 in Praia in Group D and Senegal came from 2-0 down against DR Congo to prevail 3-2 and leapfrog their hosts to move top of Group B.
A thrilling match in Kinshasa featured goals from the Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa and the Bayern Munich loanee Nico Jackson.
The prospect of Nigeria missing out is growing after they drew 1-1 away to a South Africa side on course to top their group.
It remains to be seen what punishment, if any, FIFA will impose on South Africa for fielding Teboho Mokoena – who should have been suspended – when they beat Lesotho in March.
With two October qualifiers to come, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria and Ghana look well placed for direct qualification.
South America
Argentina (the World Cup holders), Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay have qualified.
Bolivia secured the confederation’s intercontinental playoff place with a surprise 1-0 win over Brazil in La Paz on Tuesday.
Brazil, five times World Cup winners, finished fifth, their lowest qualifying position. Carlo Ancelotti was unimpressed with Bolivia’s gamesmanship, particularly the ballboys’ habit of throwing balls on to the pitch to interrupt Brazil attacks.
After a home win secured by Miguel Terceros’s penalty, Samir Xaud, the Brazil football federation president, said: “We played against the referees, the police and the ballboys. We came to play soccer, but it was a complete anti-game.”
South American qualifying began in 2023 and featured 10 teams in one large group playing each other home and away, with the top six reaching the World Cup and seventh sufficient to make the playoffs.
Europe
The only confederation not to be represented in the intercontinental playoffs involves 12 groups with the winners proceeding straight to the World Cup.
The four remaining places are secured via a playoff system featuring group runners-up and Nations League group winners.
Nothing is decided but while the horizon looks extremely rosy for Thomas Tuchel’s England, other sides are starting to sweat a little, including Italy, Germany and, particularly, Sweden.
Sweden supporters have reason to wonder whether Alexander Isak’s one-man strike at Newcastle as he forced his deadline-day move to Liverpool may cost them dear. With the national coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, judging Isak some way off match fitness, his star striker sat out last Friday’s 2-2 draw against Slovenia in Ljubljana before his late introduction from the bench failed to prevent a 2-0 defeat in Kosovo.
Third-placed Sweden are five points adrift of the group leaders, Switzerland. They have four games to turn things round.
In contrast, Erling Haaland limbered up for Sunday’s Manchester derby in style, scoring five goals as Norway beat Moldova 11-1 in Oslo.
Norway have a 100% record after five qualifiers and, six points clear of second-placed Italy, appear en route to a first appearance in a World Cup finals since 1998.
Germany are third in their group after last week’s 2-0 defeat in Slovakia that left their head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, questioning his team’s mentality. They responded with a 3-1 win against second-placed Northern Ireland, but look far from convincing.
Scotland’s and Wales’ World Cup ambitions remain alive in two tight groups but the Republic of Ireland’s hopes were severely dented by a 2-1 defeat in Armenia.
Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway and England are joined as group leaders by Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovia, North Macedonia and Croatia.
North America, Central America,the Caribbean
Steve McClaren could be heading to the World Cup with Jamaica. The former England manager’s latest team are, along with Suriname and Honduras, well placed to progress.
Three automatic slots are up for grabs – for the winners of the three four-team groups in this final round of qualifying. The two best runners-up go into the intercontinental playoffs.
Oceania
The only confederation to be done and dusted. The solitary automatic place has been secured by New Zealand, leaving New Caledonia, a French overseas territory not recognised by FIFA until 2004, to enter March’s intercontinental playoffs.
PHOTO CAPTION: Nigeria’s Super Eagles playing away against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana (in yellow jersey) …on Tuesday.
