In late March, 22 nations vied for the final six spots at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These playoffs were split into two separate groups: 16 European nations were whittled down to four, and six teams from around the rest of the world played for the remaining two.
The headline in Europe was the improbable success of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small Balkan nation of just over three million people. Ranked outsiders going into the World Cup qualifiers after finishing fifth in a six-team group during qualification for the previous European Championship, few gave Bosnia a chance to be at this summer’s tournament. After narrowly missing out on automatic qualification in their group, they faced a difficult playoff path, including an away game against Wales. Though Bosnia fell behind, their talisman, 40-year-old striker Edin Džeko, leveled the game late to send it to extra time. In front of a packed Welsh crowd, Bosnia advanced on penalties, setting up a home match against four-time world champion Italy.
At their intimidating home stadium in Zenica, Bosnia once again fell behind before forcing extra time with a late goal. The Bosnians converted all four of their penalties and will be heading to the World Cup for just the second time ever. Their group, also containing Switzerland, Canada and Qatar, is not the strongest, and the Bosnians will fancy their chances to make it into the knockout stage.
Though Bosnia’s success is an incredible story, Italy’s failure once again to reach the World Cup is just as big of a headline. This will be the third straight tournament without the Italians, who also suffered playoff losses in 2018 to Sweden, and, humiliatingly, at home to North Macedonia in 2022. Manager Gennaro Gattuso has already resigned, along with much of the Italian federation’s leadership, and it seems like it will be a long time before Italy is competing for the trophy again. A lack of talented young players and outdated coaching in their domestic league means that things may yet get worse before it can get better.
The United States also learned the identity of its final group member, as Türkiye edged out Kosovo in Prishtina to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2002. Led by exciting young players such as Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Juventus’ Kenan Yıldız, Türkiye may be a team to watch out for, and will not be an easy game for the United States. Their group also includes Paraguay and Australia, and while there may be no heavyweight side, all four teams seem fairly evenly matched, which could create an exciting battle to advance.
The final two European playoffs provided even more surprises. Sweden, which only qualified for the playoffs due to their UEFA Nations League performance after failing to win any of their qualifying group matches, beat Poland in a 3-2 thriller, with Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres scoring the winning goal in the 88th minute. They have been placed in a difficult group with the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia, and while their performances under new head coach Graham Potter have improved, their inconsistency may prove problematic at the tournament.
The final European spot went to the Czech Republic, which defeated Denmark on penalties to return to the tournament for the first time in 20 years. A team with very few standout players, save for striker Patrik Schick and imposing young center-back Ladislav Krejčí, the Czechs are a bit of an unknown quantity going into this World Cup. In Group A, with Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea, they have every chance to advance, and, as both Denmark and Ireland found out in the previous round, they are not to be underestimated in knockout games.
Outside of Europe, two long World Cup droughts were ended. The first playoff group comprised Jamaica, DR Congo and New Caledonia. Jamaica narrowly managed to get past New Caledonia with a 1-0 win, setting up a match against the Congolese, a rare chance for two teams that had only ever qualified once before. A cagey, tense match went deep into extra time, until Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe headed home a late winner for DR Congo. Having not qualified since 1974, when they were known as Zaïre, this qualification sparked wild scenes of celebration in the capital, Kinshasa, a rare moment of unifying joy for a nation that has been in near-constant conflict since the late 1990s.
More than 3,000 miles away, another nation with a lengthy World Cup hiatus was celebrating. Iraq’s 2-1 win over Bolivia marks their second appearance at a World Cup, and their first since 1986. Recently appointed Australian head coach Graham Arnold successfully navigated the longest World Cup qualification campaign among all nations, a 21-game marathon that began in November 2023. Iraq has been placed in a group with 2022 runners-up France, disputed African champions Senegal and a Norway team featuring one of the best players in the world, but merely qualifying is a miracle, and while their chances of advancing appear slim, they likely will not care.