World Cup qualifying latest, WSL updates and more – matchday live

4 days ago 8

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David Hytner

For Harry Kane, it is a numbers game and they keep on coming. The England captain has 23 goals in 17 appearances for Bayern Munich this season, while for his country it is three in four. If he scores against Albania here on Sunday, he would equal Pelé’s record in international football. Kane has 76 goals from 111 caps. The Brazil legend finished with 77 from 92. One more detail: Kane has failed to score in only six matches for club and country this season.

The state of play in Group K

England have qualified, Albania have clinched a playoff place. Next!

The state of play in Group I

Norway will qualify for their fourth World Cup, and their first since Before Haaland (aka 1998), unless they lose by nine goals in Italy. No, exactly. Italy have also secured a playoff place.

The state of play in Group F

Portugal need to win at home to Armenia to be certain of automatic qualification. A draw will be sufficient unless Hungary beat the Republic of Ireland by four goals.

Hungary v Ireland is almost certainly a shootout for a playoff place; Hungary have the draw and home advantage.

The state of play in Group D

France have already qualified, as expected, with Ukraine and Iceland – who meet in Warsaw this afternoon – chasing a playoff place. They’re level of points but Iceland effectively have the draw due to their superior goal difference.

The runners and riders for the 2026 World Cup

Thirty places have been filled, 18 remain.

Scotland, then. They went into last night’s game in Greece knowing* they needed at least a draw to stay in contention for automatic qualification. They lose a thrilling gmae 3-2 – but somehow Belarus held Denmark to a 2-2 draw in Copenhagen.

The upshot is that – gulp - if Scotland beat Denmark at Hampden on Tuesday night, they will – GULP! – qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1998.

Preamble

Oh, hi! You’re up early. And why wouldn’t you be on a big day for, among others, the Republic of Ireland and lovers of perfection. Ireland will secure a World Cup qualification playoff place if they beat Hungary in Budapest. And England, who play in Albania, are aiming to complete a perfect qualification campaign: eight games, eight wins, no goals conceded.

Norway and Portugal should also clinch a place in next summer’s finals, while Ukraine face Iceland in what is effectively a playoff to reach the playoffs.

We’ll have build-up to those matches, plus reaction to last night’s action in Group C. Scotland took a break from doing things the hard way and instead did it the weird way: despite a madcap 3-2 defeat in Greece, their hopes of automatic qualifiction remain alive after Belarus drew 2-2 against Denmark in Copenhagen.

Last and emphatically not least, there are five games in the Women’s Super League, including the small matter of Tottenham v Arsenal.

Here’s a full list of today’s games in Uefa World Cup qualification and the WSL.

Group F (2pm)