UEFA World Cup Qualifying Matches to Watch: Saturday | OneFootball

Today marks the final ten fixtures of Matchday 9 in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Groups B, C, E, H and J are all on deck, and in some matches the winner will lock in their World Cup ticket.

There are also a number of intriguing scenarios that would set up winner-take-all matchups on the final day of competition. It doesn’t get better than that!

Kazakhstan vs. Belgium (Group J)

Group J Standings. Source: Wikipedia

Kickoff @ 9:00pm ET Belgium only need a single win from their next two matches to secure their qualifying spot. If it doesn’t happen here, it will surely come against lowly Liechtenstein next week. Kazakhstan, despite some fine effort, has already been ousted and this is their final qualifying match.

Liechtenstein vs. Wales (Group J)

Kickoff @ 12:00pm ET Wales have a safety net knowing a play-off berth is theirs by virtue of their Nations League finish. But that would not excuse anything other than a multiple goal win over tiny Liechtenstein, who have yet to score a goal in this campaign. They would also love to tighten their goal difference against North Macedonia, who do not play until next week.

Georgia vs. Spain (Group E)

Group E Standings. Source: Wikipedia

Kickoff @ 12:00pm ET Barring some unexpected catastrophe on Spain’s part, this match should clinch their World Cup ticket. They had a comfortable two goal win over Georgia in the first fixture, and expect a similar if not better performance here.

Türkiye vs. Bulgaria (Group E)

Kickoff @ 12:00pm ET Türkiye’s bizarre six goal loss to Spain is the only blemish on an otherwise excellent qualifying campaign. Bulgaria shouldn’t present much more than a speed bump they can easily drive over, having been railroaded in every other match so far.

Cyprus vs. Austria (Group H)

Group H Standings. Source: Wikipedia

Kickoff @ 12:00pm ET Cyprus have been eliminated and it’s doubtful they’ll put up much resistance in their final match against a stronger Austrian side. Austria needs this win to keep their narrow advantage over Bosnia, whom they will face in the final match Tuesday.

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Romania (Group H)

Kickoff @ 2:45pm ET This is such a crux game for Bosnia. A win here tees them up for a delicious final game against Austria, where in immortal words of ABBA, “the winner takes it all.” A loss reduces them to fighting for a play-off spot. Romania know that two straight victories should give them enough to nick that play-off berth.

Switzerland vs. Sweden (Group B)

Group B Standings. Source: Wikipedia

Kickoff @ 2:45pm ET The biggest storyline out of Group B is the collapse of Sweden. They parted ways with their Danish manager Jon Dahl Tomasson after October’s loss to Kosovo left them with a single point from four matches. To be fair, Sweden’s victory in their Nations League group guaranteed them a play-off spot, but the team’s performance in this campaign has been horrific. New manager Graham Potter will hope to turn the side around here, and deal Switzerland a setback at the same time. For their part, a Swiss win would virtually lock in their qualification.

Slovenia vs. Kosovo (Group B)

Kickoff @ 2:45pm ET While visiting Kosovar supporters will be keeping eyes glued to the scoreline in the other Group B match, the team had best keep their focus on this game. A single point would secure them a play-off spot, but a win and a Swiss defeat to Sweden would mean the two sides would be level on points. That would make Tuesday’s final match a true winner-takes-all battle.

Greece vs. Scotland (Group C)

Group B Standings. Source: Wikipedia

With Greece’s surprisingly poor showing, only Scotland and Denmark remain in the fight. Level on points, the Scots need a victory on the road to make next Tuesday’s match at home in Glasgow matter. This has been one of Scotland’s brightest tournament qualifying campaigns in some time; let’s hope they can finish strong.

Denmark vs. Belarus (Group C)

Denmark are in the driver’s seat due to their superior goal differential. Given they destroyed Belarus 6 – 0 in their last meeting this should be an easy fixture.