Play-off finals decide Europe's last four World Cup spots | OneFootball

Europe will decide its final World Cup spots this Tuesday, with four continental playoff finals, the highlight being the clash between four-time champion Italy and Bosnia.

Another match drawing attention will take place in the city of Solna, on the outskirts of Stockholm, where Viktor Gyokeres’ Sweden faces veteran Robert Lewandowski’s Poland.

In the other matchups, Turkey and Denmark are, theoretically, the favorites against Kosovo and the Czech Republic, respectively.

Path A: Bosnia vs Italy

(The winner will go into World Cup Group B, with Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar)

Right after beating Northern Ireland (2-0) in the semifinal, Italy’s players were filmed celebrating Bosnia’s penalty-shootout win over Wales while watching on television the match that would decide their next opponent.

“We did not disrespect anyone, neither Bosnia nor the Bosnians. We are all decent people,” Federico Dimarco explained on Saturday. He was one of those involved in the celebration, which made it clear that the Italians preferred facing Bosnia rather than Wales.

For Italy, traumatized by being eliminated in the playoffs in 2018 and 2022, missing out on the World Cup for a third straight time would be a tragedy. That is why the pressure in this decisive away match will be enormous.

Bosnia, meanwhile, has only one World Cup appearance since its independence: in 2014, in Brazil.

Path B: Sweden vs Poland

(The winner will go into Group F, with the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia)

Viktor Gyokeres, who scored a hat-trick in the semifinal against Ukraine, and Robert Lewandowski, decisive with a header against Albania, are preparing for an electrifying and unpredictable showdown in Solna.

Gyokeres is enjoying a great season at Arsenal and is confident about Sweden’s return to the World Cup after four editions away.

A trip to the United States would also bring back good memories for the Scandinavian team, which finished third at the World Cup hosted by the Americans in 1994.

Lewandowski, meanwhile, wants to return with Poland for his third (and very likely last) World Cup, at age 37 and in the final stage of his career.

Path C: Kosovo vs Turkey

(The winner will go into Group D, with the United States, Australia, and Paraguay)

Turkey appears to have a great opportunity to return to the World Cup, something it has not achieved since its historic and surprising third-place finish in the 2002 edition.

The team seems to be the clear favorite in the clash in Pristina against Kosovo, which has a date with history, having lost just one match in its European qualifiers group and coming off a surprising away win over Slovakia in the playoff semifinal.

The Kosovars, who declared independence from Serbia in 2008, are facing the most important match in their short history. In recent days, the country’s government announced a bonus equivalent to 1 million euros (R$ 6 million) for the players if they make the dream of qualifying for their first World Cup come true.

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Path D: Czech Republic vs Denmark

(The winner will go into Group A, with Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea)

Denmark is one step away from securing a place at the World Cup, one of whose host countries will be the United States, with which it has maintained tense relations in recent months because of Donald Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland, a territory belonging to the European country.

The Danish national team recorded the biggest win of the European playoff semifinals (4-0 over North Macedonia) and heads to Prague full of confidence to face the Czech Republic, an opponent it has not beaten in seven matches, since Euro 2004.

“We haven’t been to the World Cup in 20 years. We’re going to give everything we have to get there,” promised Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek right after the penalty-shootout win over Ireland in the semifinal.

*By AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.