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Kosovo 0-1 Turkey: And there is a second attempt for Turkey. Yildiz surges into the Kosovo penalty area but his left-footed shot from a tight angle flashes across the face of goal.
Kosovo 0-1 Turkey: Muslija has a go from distance but it’s just wide. That is the the hosts’ second attempt on target. Turkey have had one – the goal.
Sweden 2-2 Poland: The visitors win a corner and the ball almost trickles in after Szymanski’s delivery but it is cleared off the line by Lindelof.
Kosovo 0-1 Turkey: Zhegrova stands over a Kosovo free-kick. Cakir comes out to punch, misses the ball but Turkey manage to clear eventually.
GOAL! Czech Republic 1-1 Denmark (Andersen 72)
A towering Andersen header after Damsgaard’s free-kick delivery and Denmark are level! The celebrations are a bit subdued as Czech Republic have a player down but the goal stands. All level!
Czech Republic 1-0 Denmark: Eriksen, the Danes’ all-time appearance maker, comes on for Froholdt.
Czech Republic 1-0 Denmark: Damsgaard and Hojlund combine from a free-kick on the right. The former curls it but the latter is unable to make contact and Kovar comfortably collects the ball.
Sweden 2-2 Poland: The 17-year-old Pietuszewski is booked minutes after he comes on when he shoulders Lindelof while going up for a header.
GOAL! Kosovo 0-1 Turkey (Akturkoglu 53)
Breakthrough for the visitors! Kokcu’s shot attempt is wayward but Akturkoglu latches onto it and grazes it inside the far post. He looks to be offside but the goal stands and the home fans go quiet in disbelief. Does the Kosovo dream end here?
GOAL! Sweden 2-2 Poland (Swiderski 55)
Nightmare defending from Sweden! Zalewski has the ball right in front of the net. He lays it off to Swiderski, who would have had to try incredibly hard to miss. There is a lengthy VAR check for offside but the goal stands.
Sweden 2-1 Poland: Lagerbielke rises for another header but this one is just a whisker wide.
We are back underway in Prague, Solna and Pristina. John writes in:
As an Irishman living in the States I really wanted Ireland to qualify for World Cup but I had given up. Then Troy Parrott happened. I was excited for playoff but didn’t have much hope.; Then we went 2 nil up. I accepted that we were going to lose on penalties. Then Caoimhin Kelleher saved and I dreamed again. It didn’t happen and I think I was getting over it.
Now the Czechs are going to win and the disappointment is going to strike again.
At least 45 minutes for things to turn around, John. I would say keep dreaming but that hasn’t worked out for you thus far.
Half-time across the grounds
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Czech Republic 1-0 Denmark
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Kosovo 0-0 Turkey
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Sweden 2-1 Poland
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey: It all kicks off in Pristina. Shoves begin after Akturkoglu has words for Hajrizi, who is clutching his head on the ground. Oliver books Akturkoglu and Hajdari, the latter for his role in the aftermath.
GOAL! Sweden 2-1 Poland (Lagerbielke 44)
Sweden back in front on the brink of half-time. A wicked free-kick delivery from Nygren and Lagerbielke rises above to head home his second international goal of his career.
Sweden 1-1 Poland: Kiwior gets booked for dissent after Zalewski fouls Elanga. The hosts now have a dangerous free-kick far on the right …
Sweden 1-1 Poland: The visitors are playing with their tail up after their goal. They are targetting Sweden’s right side, with Svensson and Lagerbielke struggling slightly.
Czech Republic 1-0 Denmark: A superb delivery from Coufal after Froholdt’s foul on Darida but the hosts can’t take advantage and it dribbles out of play.
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey: Hodza nudges the ball into the path of Asllani, who hits a crisp effort that looks like it is going in but somehow Cakir gets his outstretched hand to the strike to tip it onto the bar.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 Poland (Zalewski 33)
Poland respond! Zalewski skips into the box, cuts inside and his low curler that deflects slightly off Karlstrom before finding the back of the net. Nordfeldt gets a hand to it, but it isn’t strong enough and he will be disappointed to concede that. This is a test for Sweden now.
Sweden 1-0 Poland: Kaminski cuts inside but his curler is palmed away by Nordfeldt. A few minutes earlier, the Swede keeper made a fantastic save, denying Swiderski’s low shot.
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey: Asllani rushes into the box and gets on the end of a Muslija through ball but his low cross for Muriqi is cleared by Cakir.
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey: Gallapeni of Kosovo catches up to Celik and tackles him in the box … Is that a penalty? Michael Oliver had a perfect view but no call. I don’t think there is enough in it to overturn.
GOAL! Sweden 1-0 Poland (Elanga 20)
Another screamer! This one in Solna as Ayari lays off the ball with a cheeky backheel and Elanga hits it first time, Grabara grabbing at thin air in an attempt to make the save. Lift off for the Swedes!
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey: A poor pass from the visitors means Muslija gets the ball in the final third. He tries some tricks and turns but loses his footing and Turkey defend well.
Sweden 0-0 Poland: Poland have the ball in the box but Lewandowski cannot get a good strike on the ball after an awkward tackle from Starfelt, who has hurt himself in the process.
Kári gets in touch:
It was only one match, but on Thursday it really felt like Sweden are back to being Sweden again under Potter. At their best, they combine imagination and flair with the kind of solid ruggedness that saps the will of their opponents. Sportswriter Charles Boehm once called Sweden “the walking manifestation of that sinking feeling that it’s not going to be your day”, which can’t be improved on.
I could never quite measure up to Boehm – quite the wordsmith – if we are being frank. Maybe he would compare me to Sweden right now, who have not offered much but are trying their best in front of their home crowd.
Kosovo 0-0 Turkey: The visitors are a whisker away from opening the scoring but two good blocks are made after Calhanoglu’s shot. Turkey have to settle for a corner but Kosovo deal with the danger.
Czech Republic 1-0 Denmark: So far, this is the game to watch. Hojlund blazes forward and has a go from a tight angle on the left but Kovar makes the low save.
GOAL! Czech Republic 1-0 Denmark (Sulc 3)
The hosts light a fuse in Prague!! The hosts win their second corner in the third minute. Coufal delivers and it is cleared to Sulc, who isn’t picked up at the edge of the box. He takes his chance to strike it beautifully first time and it sails into the top corner! Dream start for Czech Republic!
Kick-offs: Here we go! Winners of each of these games will book their spot at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The teams are out and the national anthems are being sung … Kick-off in less than five minutes across the grounds. Great atmospheres across the board in Pristina, Solna and Prague.
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Italy: Reminder, you can follow along the fourth European playoff final with Scott Murray below.
Kosovo v Turkey: The hosts nation only became Fifa members in 2016 and a win today would secure their first-ever World Cup finals place and complete a qualification campaign that has become a rallying cry for national pride.
“It gets emotional thinking about the conditions we faced,” Samir Ujkani says. Kosovo would often train on a rutted pitch at the crumbling Kek stadium outside Pristina, directly beneath the belching Obiliq power plants that have been listed among the most polluting in Europe. On other occasions they would make a three-hour round trip to Mitrovica, where the Haiti game took place, for a single session. “We didn’t care, we did it all and nobody complained. And I’m so proud of what the team are achieving now.”
This is a country where public matches were banned by Serbian authorities in the 1990s after the breakup of Yugoslavia. It is a place where football became the most luxurious of afterthoughts as a brutal, appalling war wrought unimaginable trauma at the end of that decade. When Kosovo rose and stood alone, sport became more important than ever in its capacity to project a fresh, serious, accomplished face to the world.
Read the full features from Nick Ames and Jack Snape below.
Kosovo v Turkey: Dreaming of a World Cup debut, Kosovo showed great nerve to beat Slovakia 4-3 in their play-off semi-final – twice levelling before taking a 4-2 lead. They will no doubt take great confidence from the victory, but coach Franco Foda warns that they must not get carried away. “We are in euphoria right now but we need to play the last game with calm,” he said.
Arda Güler’s awe-inspiring assist and Ferdi Kadioglu’s expert finish were the difference as Turkey overcame Romania in the semi-finals. Turkey have lost only once in seven competitive away fixtures since Euro 2024, continuing to score on the road despite not having a pure No 9.
Czech Republic v Denmark: “It’s been 20 years since our last World Cup appearance, and we’ll do everything we can to get there,” said the Czech Republic midfielder Tomáš Souček after his side’s penalty success against the Republic of Ireland. However, the Czech Republic have not beaten the Danes in seven games since a 3-0 win in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004.
Brian Riemer’s Denmark booked their final spot with a confident 4-0 victory over North Macedonia. “It is important to look forward to big matches, even though there is also a lot of pressure,” Riemer said. “It is a huge match, and it is probably one of the biggest matches I have been involved with in my career so far. We are completely well prepared and ready.”
Sweden v Poland: “Viktor Gyökeres was incredible,” said the Sweden manager, Graham Potter, after the Arsenal striker scored a hat-trick in his side’s 3-1 semi-final against Ukraine. He will certainly be the one to watch for Poland as they hope to register a win in Sweden for the first time since 1930.
These two teams met in the final of the 2022 World Cup playoffs, where Poland beat the Swedes 2-0 in Chorzow with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski – both are in Poland’s XI for today’s match. Nicola Zalewski returns after being suspended for the semi-final and Jan Urban is unbeaten after seven games as Poland coach.
Teams: Kosovo v Turkey
Kosovi XI (4-4-2): Muric; Dellova, Hajrizi, Hajdari, Gallapeni; Vojvoda, Hodza, Rexhbecaj, Muslija; Asllani, Muriqi.
Subs: Bekaj, Saipi, Hadergjonaj, Aliti, I Krasniqi, Rashica, Rrahmani, Zhegrova, Berisha, E Krasniqi, Emerllahu, Zabergja.
Turkey XI (4-2-3-1): Cakir; Celik, Kadioglu, Bardakci, Kabak; Yuksek, Calhanoglu; Kokcu, Guler, Yildiz; Akturkoglu.
Subs: Günok, Bayindir, Elmali, Akaydin, Ozcan, Yılmaz, Gul, Kahveci, Muldur, Karazor, Akgun, Ayhan.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Teams: Sweden v Poland
Sweden XI (3-4-2-1): Nordfeldt; Lagerbielke, Starfelt, Lindelof; Svensson, Ayari, Karlstrom, Gudmundsson; Elanga, Nygren; Gyokeres.
Subs: Törnqvist, Ellborg, Eriksson, Swedberg, Bergvall, Nilsson, Stroud, Lundgren, Svanberg, Larsson, Ali, Zeneli.
Poland XI (3-5-2): Grabara; Bednarek, Wisniewski, Kiwior; Cash, Zalawski, Zielinski, Szymanski, Kaminski; Swiderski, Lewandowski.
Subs: Kochalski, Dragowski, Kedziora, Slisz, Moder, Grosicki, Pietuszewski, Ziolkowski, Rozga, Bereszynski, Skoras, Piatek.
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
Teams: Czech Republic v Denmark
Czech Republic XI (3-5-2): Kovar; Chaloupek, Hranac, Krejci; Coufal, Provod, Soucek, Darida, Zeleny; Schick, Sulc.
Subs: Hornicek, Jedlicka, Holes, Vitik, Karabec, Kliment, Cerv, Chytil, Jurasek, Sadilek, Chory, Visinsky.
Denmark XI (4-3-3): Hermansen; Bah, Andersen, Nelsson, Maehle; Hojbjrg, Hjulmand, Froholdt; Isaksen, Hojlund, Damsgaard.
Subs: Jungdal, Ronnow, Hogsberg, Nartey, Jensen, Eriksen, Osula, Provstgaard, Nørgaard, Hogh, Nartey, Dreyer.
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Preamble
Hello and welcome to a crucial World Cup qualification day. Eight European countries, four spots up for grabs at this summer’s marquee event in Canada, the United States and Mexico, with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Poland, Sweden and Turkey all one win away from qualifying.
The Czech Republic, who edged out the Republic of Ireland on penalties take on Denmark. The winner will join Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
Turkey will take on minnows Kosovo, who have never qualified for a World Cup. The winners will join Group D with the United States, Paraguay and Australia.
Sweden, who are through after Viktor Gyökeres’ hat-trick against Ukraine, will face Poland, with the winner slotting into Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.
Italy, who are under heaps of pressure after missing the last two World Cups, managed a win against Northern Ireland on Thursday to set up a World Cup playoff final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, who beat Wales on penalties after Edin Dzeko’s lifeline goal. The winner will join Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B at the World Cup. Scott Murray will be live blogging that match separately here.
The four fixtures will kick-off simultaneously at 7.45pm BST.
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Czech Republic v Denmark
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Kosovo v Turkey
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Sweden v Poland
As always, if you have any thoughts, predictions, questions, or favourite World Cup playoff moments you would like to share, then send me an email. Team news coming up!
