Excitement and Drama in the World Cup Qualifiers: Summary of the FIFA Date
The deadline for qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is approaching, and the November international break gave us unforgettable moments. We saw teams secure their place in the final phase, keep their hopes alive through the playoffs, or watch their dreams fade away.
With so much at stake on the road to the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the match window produced a great deal of emotion, with small nations reaching the final phase for the first time, last-minute goals, and big names falling by the wayside.
Outside of major tournaments, the international calendar can sometimes be exhausting for both players and fans, with many awaiting the return of club matches. But as we’ve seen in the last week, when those long journeys culminate with entire nations filled with joy and anguish, it’s football at its finest.
Here’s a brief recap of some of the best stories to emerge from one of the most unpredictable weeks in World Cup qualifying history.
Haiti: A Dream Come True
Despite being ranked 88th in the FIFA rankings, Haiti defied the predictions and qualified for a World Cup for the second time in its history (and the first in 50 years) by defeating Nicaragua 2-0 on Tuesday.
The team started the day behind Honduras on goal difference in Group C of the Concacaf qualifiers, but goals from Louicius Deedson and Ruben Providence in the first half sealed the victory, while Honduras drew 0-0 in Costa Rica.
The victory secured Haiti’s first World Cup appearance since West Germany 1974, a feat made even more remarkable by the fact that the team has been forced to play on neutral territory, some 800 kilometers away on the island of Curaçao, while the Caribbean nation is mired in an ongoing conflict.
As a result, despite being appointed 18 months ago, Haiti’s coach, Sebastien Migne, has yet to set foot in the country. However, he will lead them in the final phase next year, hoping to improve their 0-3 record (with 14 goals conceded) from their last campaign half a century ago.
Concacaf Post
Curaçao: The Cinderella of the Caribbean
Curaçao fans joined Haiti’s party, as their team also achieved the improbable feat of reaching the 2026 World Cup by drawing 0-0 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, Central and Caribbean America section, with Jamaica and Suriname advancing to the inter-confederation playoffs.
Led by Dutch veteran Dick Advocaat, the small island nation (approximately 275 square kilometers) has become the smallest country to qualify for the tournament. Its population of around 156,000 inhabitants is less than half that of the previous record holders, Iceland (350,000).
Advocaat was forced to miss Jamaica’s qualifying match due to a family issue, but if the 78-year-old remains in charge of Curaçao for next year’s final phase, 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.
Curaçao National Football Team Post
Scotland: A Triumphant Return
In what will be remembered as one of the most famous nights in the history of Scottish football, Scott McTominay and company delivered an astonishing performance to beat Denmark in an exciting 4-2 match and reach the World Cup finals 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 stoppage-time goals from the halfway line after Kieran Tierney had landed a heavy blow first.
As expected, Hampden Park erupted after the final whistle, as an impressive victory for Steve Clarke’s team wiped away 30 years of almost constant underperformance in one fell swoop.
BBC Sport Scotland’s post
Republic of Ireland: The Epic Comeback
Things weren’t looking good for the Republic of Ireland at the start of the November international break, with Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team on the verge of missing the World Cup altogether.
All it took were 72 bewildering 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 player scored a hat-trick in a sensational 3-2 victory in Budapest, which culminated in a goal in the 96th minute that surprised most of the crowd at the Puskás Arena into silence.
DR Congo: Celebration in the Field
DR Congo erupted in celebration after sending Nigeria, a former World Cup participant, 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 introduced a specialist goalkeeper, Timothy Fayulu, to help frustrate the Super Eagles in the penalty shootout. Fayulu saved Semi Ajayi’s effort, 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 advance from there, they will reach their first World Cup finals since 1974, when (formerly known as Zaire) they lost all three of their group matches.
The team covered the entire length of the field in the Rabat, Morocco stadium to celebrate with their traveling supporters, although the jubilant atmosphere intensified even more when thousands of fans flocked to their 80,000-capacity Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa to welcome their heroes.
FIFA+ Post
In addition, Iraq managed to keep their World Cup hopes alive dramatically thanks to a goal in the 107th minute in the second leg of their AFC fifth-round qualifier against the United Arab Emirates.
After drawing the first match 1-1, Iraq went ahead against the United Arab Emirates in Basra before gradually coming back in the second half.
The cinematic moment then occurred at the 17th minute of added time, when Amir Al-Ammari converted a late penalty to secure Iraq’s place in the intercontinental playoffs, giving them the chance to reach their first World Cup since Mexico 1986.
New Classifieds
The teams that will play the playoffs in March hope to join a group of debutants in the 2026 World Cup, after a handful of brave debutants sealed their qualification in the last few weeks. In addition to Curaçao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan also booked their places on football’s biggest stage.
It’s also worth mentioning that Qatar has enjoyed its first qualifying campaign, after automatically participating in the 2022 final phase as the tournament host.
