Another round of World Cup qualifiers is in the books, and the vast majority of the 48 participants in next summer’s tournament are confirmed. In the UEFA region, a couple of teams have shone brighter than most. Thomas Tuchel’s England have won all eight qualifiers without conceding a single goal. Reigning European Champions Spain have been similarly dominant, winning all of their games and averaging almost five goals a game in the process.
As such, it should come as no surprise to hear that online betting sites have made those two heavy hitters, the two teams that faced off in last summer’s European Championship final, the frontrunners to leave MetLife Stadium with the gold next July. The latest odds from the popular Bovada online sportsbook currently list Los Rojas as the 4/1 favorites, while the Three Lions are just behind at 13/2.
But while those have looked imperious en route to the World Cup, things haven’t been plain sailing for all of Europe’s big boys. Here are the most shocking results from the European section of qualifying.
Republic of Ireland 2-0 Portugal
Portugal flew out of the blocks in European qualifying, thumping Armenia 5-0 away from home in their opener, before rallying to beat Hungary away from home, winning a 3-2 thriller thanks to a last-gasp strike from Joao Cancelo. However, cracks then started to appear. It took a last-gasp winner from Ruben Neves to beat the Republic of Ireland in Lisbon, before the Hungarians then mustered up late heroics of their own to steal a 2-2 draw, the first points Portugal had lost in the entirety of qualifying.
In their fourth game against the Irish in Dublin, however, things truly came to a head. The Boys in Green needed a win to keep their faint qualifying hopes alive, and they played like a do-or-die team. Troy Parrott bagged a scarcely believable Irish opener after just 17 minutes, and from there, things unraveled dramatically. Parrott added a second on the stroke of halftime, before Portugal captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed on the hour mark for lashing out at an Irish defender.
As a result, the Portuguese visitors were suddenly impotent. Down to ten men and without their record goalscorers, they were powerless to resist, succumbing to the 2-0 defeat and plunging their qualifying campaign into crisis.
Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Germany headed into their qualifying campaign full of optimism. A run to the quarterfinals at Euro 2024 galvanized a footballing nation from its lowest point, while a similarly impressive run to the semifinals of the Nations League seemed to show Die Mannschaft returning somewhere close to its best. In World Cup qualifying, however, the Germans were in for a rude awakening.
They took a squad containing stars such as Florian Wirtz and Joshua Kimmich to their opener in Slovakia, but despite the strong squad, Germany was no match for the rampant hosts, who ran roughshod. Atletico Madrid defender Dávid Hancko gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of halftime, while a second Middlesbrough striker, David Strelec, left Julian Nagelsman’s men absolutely shellshocked.
Throughout the dying embers, Germany huffed and puffed, but they looked like a shadow of the side that top-scored at Euro 2024. Ultimately, they were unable to reduce the deficit, slumping to a 2-0 loss and leaving their plans in crisis. As ever, though, the Germans would rally, winning all four of their games to secure their spot at the World Cup with a minimum of fuss. On this night in Bratislava, however, the 2026 World Cup felt a million miles away, and even despite managing to turn their campaign around, a third straight German group stage exit on the grandest stage wouldn’t be the biggest shock in seven months.
Faroe Islands 2-1 Czech Republic
The Faroese are the underdog story of qualifying so far. It took late goals for both the Czech Republic and Montenegro to beat them in their opening two games, with the latter specifically netting as late as the 98th minute to secure a 1-0 win. The Landsliðið then needed late goals themselves to knock off minnows Gibraltar. But since that 2-1 triumph back in June, the Faroe Islands have gone from strength to strength.
A 4-0 drubbing of Montenegro in Torshavn in October was arguably the best result in the nation’s history, but it was the result three days later that truly captured Europe’s attention. Despite being a mighty 8/1 outsider, the Faroes managed to upset two-time World Cup semifinalists Czechia on home turf, with Martin Agnarsson’s 81st-minute winner sparking bedlam in the tiny Nordic nation.
While a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat away in Croatia would end their hopes, the Landsliðið can rest easy knowing that they have just reeled off their finest ever World Cup qualification effort. Whether they can build on this in the years to come remains to be seen.
