France have secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup, with Kylian Mbappé leading the charge. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo faces a potential ban from Portugal’s opening match if his team manages to win their European qualifying group.France achieved qualification with a convincing 4-0 victory against Ukraine at home, highlighted by Mbappé’s double contribution. Portugal’s path hit a roadblock after a surprising 2-0 defeat to Ireland in Dublin, where Ronaldo received his first-ever international red card.
The French dominance continued in the second half as Michael Olise and substitute Hugo Ekitiké added to the scoresheet.At Parc des Princes in Paris, Mbappé opened the scoring with a penalty in the 55th minute. Olise extended the lead with a curling shot in the 76th minute, followed by Mbappé’s close-range finish in the 83rd. This brought Mbappé’s international goal tally to 55, just two behind Olivier Giroud’s national record.“The French national team will always be better with him in it. He makes things easier for us. He performed his role perfectly this evening, as both a player and the captain of the national team,” said coach Didier Deschamps about Mbappé.Mbappé nearly completed his hat-trick but missed a clear opportunity shortly after his second goal.France lead Group D with 13 points, while Ukraine and Iceland share seven points each, setting up a crucial match for second place on Sunday.Portugal’s situation became complicated when Ronaldo received a red card for elbowing Ireland’s Dara O’Shea after an hour of play. The initial yellow card was upgraded to red following a video review.“I thought it was a bit harsh. He has never been sent off before in 226 games,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez commented on the incident.Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s match against Armenia due to the mandatory one-game suspension. FIFA rules may extend this to at least two matches for serious foul play.Ireland’s victory came through Troy Parrott’s two goals. He scored first with a header in the 17th minute and doubled the lead just before halftime with a low shot.Norway’s World Cup prospects brightened as Erling Haaland scored twice in their 4-1 win over Estonia, moving them closer to their first World Cup appearance since 1998.Italy secured a 2-0 victory against Moldova with late goals from Gianluca Mancini and Francesco Pio Esposito. They trail Norway by three points in Group I.Italy face Norway in their final match, needing an improbable nine-goal victory to qualify directly due to Norway’s superior goal difference.Haaland has contributed 14 goals to Norway’s impressive total of 33 in seven group matches, the highest in European qualifying.England maintained their perfect record in Group K with a 2-0 victory over Serbia at Wembley Stadium, continuing their streak without conceding a goal.Bukayo Saka scored first for England with a left-foot volley in the 28th minute. Eberechi Eze sealed the win in the 90th minute, assisted by Phil Foden.In the same group, Albania secured second place by defeating Andorra 1-0.Portugal currently lead Group F with 10 points, followed by Hungary with eight points and Ireland with seven. The final qualifying matches will see Portugal host Armenia while Hungary faces Ireland.
