With the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers coming to an end, most spots are already filled. There are still six more spots available, four for European countries, and two more for other continents. The European qualifying playoff is set for March.
The World Cup qualifiers are directly related to the FIFA World Cup. If you come in first your four or five team group in the qualifiers, you will qualify for the World Cup. If you come in second, you will have to play more matches against other second place teams to secure qualification. If you finish in third, fourth, or fifth place, then you are automatically eliminated and will not be attending the World Cup.
SCH Upper School English teacher and varsity soccer coach Brian Zalasky H ’25, who has been following professional soccer since 9th grade, shared his thoughts on the qualifiers and playoffs. There were lots of surprises during the qualifiers, and Mr. Zalasky picked out a few as the biggest. Italy and Portugal not playing well was a surprise to him, as those two big names have qualified with ease in the past. Mr. Zalasky pointed out how Italy hasn’t qualified yet, and if they don’t, this will be the third World Cup in a row Italy will miss out on. A big team who has already been eliminated is Nigeria, who many people thought would make it.
Some other surprises come from the small countries of Scotland and Ireland. Having already qualified, this will be Scotland’s first World Cup appearance in the 21st century. Ireland’s story, on the other hand, is incredible. With just two games remaining in the qualifiers, Ireland needed to win both games against Portugal and Hungary. After beating Portugal 2-0, they needed to win against Hungary. The game ended 3-2 in Ireland’s favor due to a goal being scored right before the game ended. This Ireland comeback isn’t complete, however, because they finished in second in their group, meaning they are in the playoff. If they win the playoff, it might be the biggest World Cup Qualifying comeback ever.
Mr. Zalasky has predictions for the winners of the European playoffs. In playoff group A, he has Italy beating Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Wales. In group B he has Sweden, over Albania, Poland, and Ukraine. In group C, he has predicted Slovakia to emerge victorious over Kosovo, Romania, and Türkiye. Finally, he has Czechia topping Denmark, Ireland, and North Macedonia in group D.
Mr. Zalasky has also provided early predictions for the World Cup. He thinks the winner will be Spain, as they have a relatively young roster, and also won the Euros in 2024, which is a tournament with the best European countries.
The groups for the FIFA World cup have recently been released, and the U.S. has been drawn into a group with Paraguay and Australia, along with the winner of playoff group C. Only one team can make it from each playoff group, and the countries in playoff group C are Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo. Zalasky’s predicted winner, Spain, has drawn Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and Cape Verde.
We will find out what happens in summer 2026, when the World Cup comes to Philadelphia and the United States.