The European qualifiers are incredibly tough.

Unlike South America or Africa, where teams considered fairly good can easily qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the European qualifying round is extremely fierce.

Hungary (left) was not strong enough to overcome Portugal - Photo: Reuters

In the early hours of September 10th (Vietnam time), major European teams all secured victories in their crucial matches. At home, France came from behind to beat Iceland 2-1 thanks to a brilliant performance from Mbappe. Similarly, Portugal narrowly defeated Hungary with a late goal from Cancelo. Only England impressed, thrashing Serbia 5-0.

The common thread among those victories was that they ended the chances of several mid-table teams qualifying for the knockout stage. In Group D, France pulled ahead with 6 points, 3 points more than Iceland and 5 points more than Ukraine.

In Group F, the situation was similar, with Portugal proving too strong for the efforts of Hungary or Ireland. Meanwhile, in Group K, England may have been a little shaky at the beginning, but they still secured all 15 points after 5 matches, giving Albania and Serbia no chance.

If they were in South America or Africa, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, or Iceland would probably have set their sights on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. But in Europe, that task is too difficult. They were unfortunately drawn into a group with some of the strongest and most consistent teams in the world , and there's no hope of them slipping up.

Efforts like those of Iceland or Hungary have recently been exhausting. While there is still a theoretical chance, these teams have now set more realistic goals: focusing on fighting for second place in the group.

That race was by no means easy. Iceland had to compete with Ukraine – a team boasting many big stars; Serbia had to compete with Albania – also a strong footballing nation in Eastern Europe.

Hungary, meanwhile, faces Ireland, a team with even more experience in qualifying. The same is true in other groups, where Spain has only left Georgia and Türkiye a play-off spot, and Belgium is certain not to let North Macedonia or Wales overtake them.

There are 12 groups in the European qualifiers, meaning 12 second-placed teams advance to the play-offs, battling for just 4 remaining spots. The competition is incredibly fierce in Europe, whereas in Asia, Africa, or South America, a team with such a strong squad as Ukraine would likely have secured direct qualification.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vong-loai-chau-au-qua-khoc-liet-20250911093949321.htm