Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick as Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1 in their FIFA World Cup qualifying semi-final, earning high praise from opposing coach Serhiy Rebrov

Eight teams from an initial 16 playoff hopefuls now remain. With four spots up for grabs, the playoff finals are next and some major nations are involved, with the U.S. men's nati

FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers: 44 teams have booked their places at the World Cup, and final slots are up for grabs. Get the goal highlights and updates from European Qualifiers matches across Europe,

Sandro Tonali, Viktor Gyökeres and Ferdi Kadıoğlu were among the decisive players as their teams edged closer to the FIFA World Cup with wins in Thursday's European play-off semi-finals.

Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in the European semifinals on Thursday. Also advancing to the playoff finals scheduled for Tuesday were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, Kosovo, Denmark and Czechia.

European playoff action heats up as Italy, Sweden, Turkiye and Denmark move one step closer to FIFA World Cup qualification. (Image: Reuters) The race for the final six spots for the FIFA World Cup continues,

Aiming to qualify for a first World Cup in 20 years, Ukraine lost 3-1 to Sweden in Thursday's qualification play-off semi-final in Spain