The qualifying phase for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the deadline drawing ever closer, offered emotions and unexpected twists during the November international break. Several national teams secured their place in the 2026 final phase, others kept their hopes alive by reaching the playoffs, and some saw their dreams fade away.With so much at stake on the road to next year’s tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the World Cup qualifiers produced unprecedented football drama, with small nations reaching the final phase for the first time, last-minute goals deciding matches, and important names falling by the wayside.Outside of major tournaments, the international football calendar can sometimes be exhausting for both players and fans, who count the days until club matches resume. But, as we have seen in the last week, when those long journeys culminate with entire nations filled with joy and anguish, that’s when football shows itself at its best.Here’s a recap of some of the biggest stories to emerge from one of the most turbulent weeks in World Cup qualifying history.
- Curaçao, Panama, and Haiti make history and qualify for the 2026 World Cup
- World Cup Team Rankings: The 64 teams that could still win next summer
- McTominay joins the best overhead goals in history: Rooney, Ronaldo, and more
Haiti
Despite being ranked 88th in the FIFA rankings, Haiti defied all predictions and qualified for the World Cup for the second time in its history (and for the first time in 50 years) by defeating Nicaragua 2-0 on Tuesday.The Haitian team started the day behind Honduras on goal difference in Group C of the Concacaf qualifiers, but first-half goals from Louicius Deedson and Ruben Providence sealed the victory, while Honduras drew 0-0 in Costa Rica.The victory secured Haiti’s first appearance in a World Cup since West Germany 1974, a feat even more remarkable by the fact that the team has been forced to play on neutral territory, about 500 kilometers away on the island of Curaçao, while the Caribbean nation is mired in an ongoing conflict.As a result, despite having been appointed 18 months ago, Haiti’s coach, Sebastien Migne, has yet to set foot in the country. However, he will lead them in next year’s final phase, hoping to improve their 0-3 record (with 14 goals conceded) from their last campaign half a century ago.Curacao
Curacao fans joined Haiti’s party, as their team also achieved the feat of reaching the 2026 World Cup by holding a brave 0-0 draw in Jamaica on Tuesday.In an exciting end to the Concacaf qualifying groups, Curaçao survived a penalty in stoppage time to get the point they needed to surpass the Reggae Boyz for first place in Group B, which means that they, Haiti and Panama have qualified from the North America, Central America and Caribbean section, with Jamaica and Suriname advancing to the inter-confederation playoffs.Led by veteran Dutchman Dick Advocaat, the small island nation (approximately 170 square miles) has become the smallest country to qualify for the tournament. Its population of around 156,000 is less than half that of the previous record holders, Iceland (350,000).Advocaat, unfortunately, was forced to miss the Jamaica qualifier due to a family issue, but if the 78-year-old coach remains in charge of Curaçao for the final phase next year, he would become the oldest coach to lead a team in a World Cup, breaking the record currently held by Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years and 317 days old when he coached Greece in 2010.
Scotland
In what will go down in history as one of the most famous nights in the history of Scottish football, Scott McTominay & Co. put on an amazing performance to beat Denmark in an exciting 4-2 match and reach the final phase of the World Cup for the first time since 1998.The Napoli midfielder, McTominay, opened the scoring in the third minute with a spectacular overhead kick, but somehow failed to score the goal of the night. That honor fell to midfielder Kenny McLean, who scored the second of Scotland’s two goals in stoppage time from the halfway line after Kieran Tierney had dealt a demolishing blow first.As expected, Hampden Park became a chaos at the end of the match, as an impressive victory for Steve Clarke’s team wiped out 30 years of almost constant underperformance at a stroke.Republic of Ireland
Things looked bleak for the Republic of Ireland at the start of the November international break, with Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team on the verge of missing out on the World Cup altogether.It only took a bewildering 72 hours and five goals in two games from the heroic striker Troy Parrott to change everything, as vital victories against Portugal and Hungary pulled them out of total desolation and into the playoffs.On Thursday, AZ Alkmaar striker Parrott scored both goals in the 2-0 victory over Portugal in Dublin to pull the rug out from under Cristiano Ronaldo and carry Ireland’s hopes in the playoffs to their final qualifier against Hungary.Needing a victory, the 23-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur player scored a hat-trick in a sensational 3-2 comeback victory in Budapest, which culminated in a goal in the 96th minute that silenced most of the Puskás Arena fans.Ireland will now play against Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia or Wales away from home in their first playoff match (with Wales securing the home advantage in the draw with a resounding 7-1 victory over North Macedonia) before facing a decisive next match against the winners of a match between nations from pots 1 and 4 of the next draw. If Ireland can get out of the playoffs, then they will embark on their first World Cup campaign since the 1994 finals in the USA, when they reached the round of 16 thanks in part to a memorable victory over Italy in New Jersey.DR Congo
RD Congo erupted in celebration after sending Nigeria, a former World Cup regular, home in a tense penalty shootout at the end of the CAF playoff final.The match ended 1-1 after extra time, at which point the Leopards brought in a specialist goalkeeper, Timothy Fayulu, to help frustrate the Super Eagles in the penalty shootout. Fayulu saved Semi Ajayi’s shot, opening the door for captain Chancel Mbemba to score from the penalty spot and send DR Congo to the inter-confederation playoffs next March. If they get through that, they will reach their first World Cup final since 1974 when, formerly known as Zaire, they lost all three of their group matches.The team ran the entire length of the field in the stadium in Rabat, Morocco, to celebrate with their traveling supporters, although the jubilant atmosphere intensified even more when thousands of fans flocked to their Martyrs’ Stadium, with a capacity of 80,000 people, in Kinshasa to welcome their heroes.What’s next for the DRC Leopards after overcoming Nigeria?
