ITaree, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Denmark, Macedonia, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland, New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq. Only 6 people remain. The World Cup playoff semi-finals will begin on March 26th. Four people from Europe and two from other continents will qualify for the best international event. The draw results have already been published and this article will analyze each team.
Goal from the penalty spot in the Croatian league becomes one of the strangest goals in history
Italy
Italy lost two games to Norway, which finished in first place, and went straight to the playoffs. Coach Gennaro Gattuso arrived with the goal of helping his team qualify and avoid a repeat of the “hecatoum” of the past two World Cups. They will theoretically be facing Northern Ireland, a lower-level team, but they have struggled against teams of this style in the group stages as well. Italy has many names, but few guarantees. With four stars on their badge, they are the team with the most wins in the World Cup playoffs. Qualifications are “obligations”.Player to watch: Pio Exposito.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland last played in the World Cup in 1986, two months after the Chernobyl disaster. They were in the same group as Spain and Brazil and could only manage a draw with Algeria. Their players are spread across all categories of English professional football, with several young players with potential including Isaac Price, Shay Charles and Kieran Morrison.
wales
It won’t be the same without Gareth. The British Isles side defeated Macedonia 7-1 to advance to the play-offs, before taking on Bosnia and Herzegovina. They started the 2022 World Cup with a draw against the USA, but surprisingly lost to Iran and then England in the final round. During this break they will welcome Harry Wilson, who is in grace with Fulham.Player to watch: Harry Wilson.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Edin Dzeko is the only one left from Bosnia’s last golden generation. Ibisevic, Spahić, Pjanić, Begović, Medunjanin… All of them have already become history. Sergey Barbares’ team had an excellent performance in the group stage, losing only one game in one of the easiest groups, with Cyprus and San Marino as the bottom two teams.Player to watch: Amar Dedic.
turkey
Montella’s team spoiled Spain’s perfect group stage. The Ottomans are now regulars at the European Championship and the World Cup and field one of the best duos at international level in terms of level and youth. Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz will captain the ship, which will aim to take on highly competitive Romania, another favorite to win the tournament, which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.Player to watch: Alda Gler.
Romania
Veteran manager Mircea Lucescu is one of the most successful managers in Romanian football, but at international level he is different. In over 40 years of coaching, he has never qualified for a World Cup (even with Turkey). Romania will face Türkiye, one of the strongest teams, in the playoffs.Player to watch: Andrei Latiu.
Slovakia
The Slovakian national team qualified for the playoffs with the runner-up finish. He last played in a World Cup in 2010, but he played at the last European Championship and did well. They defeated Belgium in the first match and gave England a hard time in the last 16. Jude Bellingham had to come on in the 95th minute to take the game into extra time.Player to watch: Robotka.
kosovo
The South East Europe region is one of the regions that has never qualified for the World Cup. There are some notable names and Franco Foda makes the most of them. In the last few games during the hiatus, they have recorded three wins, two draws, and one loss. “Pirate” Muriqui extended Mallorca’s best version to the national team.Player to watch: Vedat Muriqui.
ukraine
Ukraine’s new golden generation, led by Rebrov, has great potential. The most interesting players on the team are coached by the best coaches around. The influence of Luis Enrique (Zabarni), Mourinho (Sudakov and Trubin) and Michel (Banat and Tsygankov) will be felt in this playoff. Ukraine, a European Championship regular, has not played in a World Cup for 20 years. In front of them is Sweden, one of the most attacking teams in Europe.Player to watch: Tsygankov.
Sweden
Isaac isn’t there, but Gokeres is. The Scandinavian team finished in first place in League C, gaining promotion and securing a spot in the playoffs. Incredibly, the new generation has yet to make the decisive step up to the national team, and players can only shine at their clubs. Englishman Graham Potter will make his debut as the national team manager.Player to watch: Gokles.
Poland
Poland is no longer Lewandowski and 10 others. Polish football is evolving and fewer and fewer players are staying in the local league and not moving to other European leagues. One of the new additions to manager Jan Urban’s list is the presence of young Oscar Pietuszewski, who is shining at Porto.Player to watch: Robert Lewandowski.
Albania
Sylvinho’s Black Eagles have never played in a World Cup. They eliminated Serbia from the playoffs and will now face a tough opponent in Poland. The two sides have faced each other 15 times, but Albania has won twice and drawn only three times.Player to watch: Mui.
Denmark
Denmark, led by Christian Eriksen, is always a team to watch. They defeated Greece 3-1 at home and were eliminated from the play-offs, but were unable to beat Norway for direct qualification. Danish football is producing more and more talent, and players like Froholt, Osula and Nalty (all under 21) are proof of this.Player to watch: Eriksen.
Macedonia
The Macedonian national team is also a “forgotten” team at the World Cup. Coach Goce Sedroski’s team, founded in 1993 after the breakup of Yugoslavia, has never won in the playoffs. In 2022, they defeated Italy to reach the final, but lost to Portugal in the final. They come into this match having lost 7-1 to Wales in their last qualifying round.Player to watch: Dimitrievski.
czech republic
The Czech Republic has dreamed of hosting the World Cup since 2006. For over 20 years, one of Europe’s most legendary teams was absent. In the absence of Cech and Rosicki, Patrik Schick is leading the way in goalscoring. Olympique Lyon’s Suluk is also in great form.Player to watch: Patrick Schick.
republic of ireland
The Green Shamrocks defeated Hungary with 10 minutes remaining to qualify for “Extreme Conditions.” They have two English football-trained strikers who have big futures in Europe in Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson. In fact, the former has already scored 28 goals so far this season. One of the main reasons for the dream is his goal-scoring instinct.Player to watch: Troy Parrott.
new caledonia
New Caledonia, ranked 150th in the FIFA rankings, are just two games away from completing the most beautiful story in national football. The new format gave Oceania an extra spot in the World Cup, and this team took advantage of it. With very few players on professional contracts, the manager is recently naturalized Lens player Angelo Fulgini, who is currently on loan in Saudi Arabia.Player to watch: Angelo Fulsini.
Jamaica
The Reggae Boys have one of the most interesting projects in all of Central America. Their squad includes some of the best Jamaican-British dual nationals in the Championship, and they are all led by Leon Bailey. He is Leon Bailey, a notable player who plays for Aston Villa under manager Unai Emery.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
An African team has only participated in the World Cup once. This was in 1974, the same year they won the African Cup of Nations. A lot has happened since then, and Frenchman Sébastien Desables has managed to put together a group with a lot of talent line by line. They will face the winner of New Caledonia vs. Jamaica.Player to watch: Yoan Wissa.
Bolivia
Bolivia advanced to the playoffs ahead of Chile, Peru, and Venezuela. Oscar Villegas’ players carry the weight of more than 11 million people on their shoulders. They will face Suriname’s rising star Miguelito in the absence of their all-time leading scorer, Marcelo Moreno, who has returned from retirement to compete for the World Cup.
Suriname
The political dispute that almost left Suriname without a play-off is now history. The team, led by coach Henk Ten Cate, succeeded in building a team by naturalizing Dutch players who did not have space in the Netherlands. Haps, Botius, and Jolle Piroué. There are also former La Liga players such as Sherald Becker.Player to watch: Jol Pirouet.
Iraq
The Asian team defeated the United Arab Emirates in a double header and qualified for the playoffs. Iraq participated in the 1986 World Cup and won the AFC Asian Cup (2007) and Gulf Cup (2023). Almost all players play in local or Saudi leagues.Player to watch: Atowan.
