Intense Battle for World โCup Spots: 11 Nations Vie for Final Automatic Qualification โฃPlaces
Across Europe, the race for the โค2026 World Cup is reaching a fever pitch, with 11 national teams poised to contest the final five automatic qualification spots in โขa series of crucial matches this week. The Netherlands and Germany have already secured their places, but theโข remaining contenders are locked in tight โbattles across several qualifying groups, promising dramatic finishes and potential heartbreak.
Thes final group stage matches will โฃdetermine which nations join the hosts -โค the United States, Canada, and Mexico – at the โคexpanded โ48-team โtournament. โThe stakes are โimmense, as failing to qualify automaticallyโ forces โคteams into a perhaps โtreacherousโค playoff route. Groups C, E, H, and J are set to deliver particularly tense showdowns, with several teams still capable of reaching the โfinals.
Denmark and Scotland will face off in aโ decisive group C โclash, with the winner โsecuring automatic qualification. In Group E, Spain holds a strong advantage and needsโ only a draw against Tรผrkiye to โbook their spot, while Tรผrkiye will need a win. โ Group H sees Austria and Bosnia Herzegovinaโข battling for supremacy,separated โคby just two points,with both needing a โฃvictoryโ to advance. Group J isโฃ the most unpredictable, featuring Belgium, North Macedonia, and Wales, โall still in โขcontention for the final automaticโฃ berth. Belgiumโ leads the group โbutโข faces Liechtenstein,while North macedoniaโฃ and Wales will play a pivotal,winner-takes-all match.
Switzerland is โฃalso on โthe verge of qualification from Group B, โneeding only a drawโข against Kosovo to confirm their place. These matches, scheduled for โthe coming days, will ultimately decide the final European โคrepresentatives in the 2026 World โCup.