BVB duo win play-offs: Özcan and Svensson also at 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

With the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the last tickets for the tournament were handed out yesterday. While the two matches in Mexico are still underway at the moment, the winners of the European finals have now been decided. Two Borussia Dortmund players were also in action with their national teams today – and both were successful.

In the case of Daniel Svensson and his Sweden side, regular time was enough to secure a 3-2 home win over Poland. Even Poland’s equalizer from former Dortmund player Robert Lewandowski after Sweden had taken the lead was not enough to help the visitors in the end.

Just before halftime, Sweden went back in front when Lagerbielke made it 2-1. In the second half, Poland equalized again, with Swiderski scoring for the “Biale Orly,” the White Eagles. But their wings were clipped for a third time by the hosts when Gyökeres made it 3-2 for Sweden in the 88th minute. Poland was unable to find another equalizer even in the five minutes of stoppage time, and Sweden is heading to the World Cup.

Huge joy for BVB’s Daniel Svensson and his Sweden teammates. After a miserably played World Cup qualifying campaign, they took their last chance through the playoffs to still make it to the 2026 World Cup. Sweden’s opponents in the group stage will be the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia. Daniel Svensson played the full match and contributed to the success.

Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images

Sweden scores three and eliminates Poland

Another Borussia Dortmund player who took part in World Cup playoffs with his national team yesterday had to watch for a long time instead. Turkey played away in Kosovo, where the teams went into halftime at 0-0, with the visitors holding a slight edge in chances. Shortly after the restart, Aktürkoglu put Turkey ahead with the only goal of the day. Salih Özcan only came on in the 83rd minute, but then helped see the lead out. That means Turkey’s first World Cup appearance since 2002 is now secured, when they finished the tournament in third place.

Turkey will now face co-hosts the USA, Paraguay, and Australia in Group D of the 2026 World Cup. However, it remains unclear whether Salih Özcan will also be part of Turkey’s World Cup squad by then – just as his future at BVB is still up in the air.

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