⚽ Six matches remain to wrap up the fourth round of the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, taking place in the US, Canada, and Mexico — a round that temporarily concludes qualifiers before a fully charged return next season in September, October, and November.

The match we’re keeping an eye on brings together the Netherlands and Malta in a Group G clash kicking off at 9:45pm, at the same time as Finland’s match against Poland in the same group.

The Netherlands sits in third on the leaderboard with three points gained from one match, with all other matches having been postponed because of the Windmills’ participation in the UEFA Nations League. Poland leads the board with six points from two matches, followed by Finland with four points from three matches, then Lithuania with two points from three matches, and Malta with a single point from three matches.

The qualification system: 54 European teams have been distributed across 12 groups, half containing four teams, and half containing five. Qualifiers are played in two legs — one home and one away — with the group winners, consisting of 12 teams in total, qualifying directly to the World Cup. Since Europe has 16 dedicated World Cup spots, second-placed teams in each group will enter playoffs alongside the four best-performing teams from the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League who didn’t qualify directly, to determine four additional teams to the roster of European teams playing in the World Cup.

Other matches taking place tonight at 9:45pm:

  • San Marino vs. Austria
  • Serbia vs. Andorra
  • Romania vs. Cyprus
  • Latvia vs. Albania

The 16th round of South American World Cup qualifiers begins this evening, and will continue through the early hours of the following day, featuring five crucial encounters.

The qualification system:All 10 continental teams will be competing in a single group using a two-leg round-robin format, with the top six teams qualifying directly to the finals, while the seventh team enters the global playoffs.

Match details:

  • Bolivia vs. Chile — 11pm: La Verde hosts from eighth place with 14 points, with a theoretical chance at qualifying that hinges on a victory today. The visitors sit in last place with 10 points, and have lost all hope of qualifying for the World Cup directly, but could still find themselves in the global playoffs in the event of a positive result tonight.
  • Uruguay vs. Venezuela — 2am: La Celeste hosts from fifth place with 21 points, just three notches behind the second-placed Ecuador, and three notches ahead of their visitors, who sit in seventh place and qualify for the playoffs.
  • Argentina vs. Colombia — 3am: La Albiceleste is the only team to secure qualification so far, leading with 34 points, while Colombia’s Los Cafeteros have collected 21 points, landing them in sixth place.
  • Brazil vs. Paraguay — 3:45am: The Seleção aren’t experiencing their finest hour, having dropped to fourth place with 22 points, with just one victory under their belt from their last five matches, including a frustrating draw during new manager Carlo Ancelotti’s debut. Meanwhile, La Albirroja is in third place with the same number of points as Ecuador, two points ahead of Brazil.
  • Peru vs. Ecuador — 4:30pm: The Inca Warriors will be hosting from ninth place with 11 points, but can still — theoretically — qualify directly or reach playoffs, provided that they come out on top in all of their remaining matches. The visitors are enjoying an excellent campaign and can officially qualify with a victory today.

International friendly matches we’re following today:

  • Sweden vs. Algeria — 8pm
  • England vs. Senegal — 9:45pm
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