A quintet of teams has rounded out UEFA’s automatic qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria punched their tickets to join the already qualified France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands in next summer’s tournament co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.
In the day’s most thrilling match, Scotland topped 10-man Denmark 4-2 to top Group C in Glasgow on Kieran Tierney’s stoppage-time goal to send the Tartan Army to their first World Cup since 1998. Scotland opened the scoring through a Scott McTominay golazo in the third minute. His strike was cancelled out in the 57th by a penalty from Napoli teammate Rasmus Hojlund.
The match was turned on its head in the 61st when Eintracht’s Rasmus Kristensen was sent off for a second booking, fouling Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn. Scotland used the numerical advantage to lead once again in the 78th when Lawrence Shankland scored from a corner to make it 2-1.
The lead was short-lived, though. Manchester United wingback Patrick Dorgu struck in the 81st to even matters again. Scotland pushed forward furiously in the match’s final minutes, but the Danes seemed poised to hold on.
But Celtic defender Tierney, in his home park, became a Scotland legend with a beautiful curling effort just outside the area to beat Hoops teammate Kasper Schmeichel to earn Scotland’s most famous victory in a generation. His shot might have deflected off of Morten Hjulmand, but nobody in Scotland will care.
With Denmark desperately seeking an equalizer, Schmeichel came off of his line and he would pay for it in stoppage. Norwich City’s Kenny McLean launched an effort from midfield that made it into the Denmark net before Schmeichel could return to wrap up the win and send Scotland into delerium.
As runners-up, Denmark must now enter the playoff to return to the World Cup for a third straight tournament.
All Spain needed to do in their final qualifier was to avoid disaster and they did so. Turkiye needed a seven-goal win in Sevilla to beat La Roja to top spot in Group E, but it was too high a mountain to climb. With the two teams drawing 2-2, Turkiye heads into Thursday’s play-off draw as runners-up.
It’s a 13th straight World Cup for the current European Champions and 17th overall. Champions in 2010, Luis de la Fuente’s side is looking to bounce back from consecutive early exits at the World Cup. At Qatar 2022, La Roja were sent home in the Round of 16 with a penalties loss to Morocco.
Like Spain, all Switzerland had to do in their Group B finale was not get routed by second-place Kosovo in Pristina and it was mission accomplished for Murat Yakin’s side with an 1-1 draw. Sevilla’s Ruben Vargas scored for Switzerland. Kosovo must settle for the playoff route.
The Swiss return to the World Cup for a sixth consecutive tournament and the 13th time overall. Switzerland has been bounced from the World Cup in the Round of 16 in three straight tourneys and four of the past five. In Qatar, they were sent home by a 6-1 thrashing from Portugal.
After a plodding 1-1 draw with lowly Kazakhstan on Saturday, Belgium bounced back to claim Group J with a 7-0 thrashing of winless Liechtenstein in Liege.
The Red Devils earned passage to a fourth straight World Cup and 15th overall. Now in the twilight of the program’s “Golden Generation” with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Thomas Meunier, Axel Witsel and the injured Kevin De Bruyne all into their 30s, Belgium’s immediate goal will be to better their poor showing at Qatar 2022. The vaunted Red Devils failed to get out of the group stage alongside Canada as Croatia and Morocco moved on from Group F.
With a 7-1 rout of North Macedonia, Wales enters the playoff as group runners-up.
Austria entered their Group H finale in Vienna knowing that only a point against Bosnia and Herzegovina was needed to secure qualification and the job got done. After Borussia Monchengladbach’s Haris Tabakovic scored his third international goal in the 12th minute to give his team the lead, Brondby’s Michael Gregoritsch scored in the 77th to even matters at 1-1 and send Austria back to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
