Turkiye and Sweden book World Cup 2026 spots as Kosovo and Poland bow out

Turkiye beat Kosovo 1-0, and Sweden beat Poland 3-2, as winners secure latest FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying spots.Turkiye ended a 24-year wait ⁠to ⁠qualify for the World Cup by beating Kosovo 1-0 in their ⁠playoff final, sealing a return to football’s biggest stage ⁠for the first time since 2002.Forward Kerem Akturkoglu scored the only goal in the 53rd minute to settle a ‌tense contest on Tuesday in Pristina, where the hosts had been hoping to reach their first-ever World Cup.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Enough is enough’: Semenya pledges to fight Olympic gender-testing policylist 2 of 4Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman handed two-match PSL ban for ball tamperinglist 3 of 4Pakistan cricketer Shah’s post on Chief Minister Nawaz costs him $71,000list 4 of 4‘Stay in Europe’: Salah warned against US move as MLS clubs eye Egypt iconend of listTurkiye, ranked 25th in the world, had fallen short in qualifying campaigns over ⁠the past two decades ⁠and arrived under pressure to deliver, with coach Vincenzo Montella overseeing a squad blending emerging talents ⁠and experienced internationals.For Kosovo, ranked 79th and playing ⁠in front of a ⁠sold-out crowd, the defeat brought an end to a remarkable run that had taken them ‌to the brink of a historic debut at a major tournament, less ‌than ‌a decade after joining FIFA and UEFA.Gyokeres edges Sweden past PolandSweden beat Poland ⁠3-2 ⁠to book their ticket to the World Cup, as Viktor Gyokeres struck two minutes from ⁠time to decide a frantic qualification playoff final.Anthony Elanga’s opener for Sweden was cancelled out ‌by Nicola Zalewski’s equaliser, but Gustaf Lagerbielke’s 44th-minute strike restored the hosts’ advantage and ensured they entered the break ahead.Despite Karol Swiderski ⁠drawing the visitors ⁠level again shortly after the interval, Gyokeres capitalised on a late goalmouth ⁠scramble to side-foot home the winner.The ⁠result earned Sweden ⁠a spot in Group F for the 2026 World Cup alongside the Netherlands, ‌Japan and Tunisia, marking their first appearance at the ‌tournament ‌since 2018.