France and England secure early passage to 2026 World Cup
France has clinched its spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, joining England as the first European nations to qualify. The 2018 champions secured their place with a commanding 4-0 victory over Ukraine in Group D.
After a tense first half, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock with a audacious chipped penalty in the 55th minute.
The floodgates then opened, with Michael Olise adding a second before Mbappé netted again and set up Hugo Ekitiké for his first international goal. The result guarantees France will finish as group winners.
In Dublin, Portugal missed their chance to seal qualification, falling 2-0 to a determined Republic of Ireland. Troy Parrott was the hero, scoring a first-half brace to stun the visitors.
The hopes of Portugal further dimmed when Cristiano Ronaldo received a straight red card in the 59th minute, leaving them unable to mount a comeback.
Meanwhile, England maintained their perfect qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Serbia in Group K. the spectacular volley of Bukayo Saka opened the scoring before halftime, and substitute Eberechi Eze sealed the victory late on.
The result mathematically confirms England’s place in the 2026 finals and simultaneously eliminates Serbia from contention for a top-two finish.
