The two European teams are expected to lock in the World Cup! Croatia draws = qualifying, Netherlands wins and advances

Starting at 0:00 a.m. on November 15th, the European preliminaries for Group A, Group G, and Group L will begin. On this World Cup qualifying night, the Netherlands and Croatia are expected to lock in their seats for the 2026 World Cup in advance. The suspense of Germany's promotion will need to be revealed in the last round.

[Group A: The suspense continues]

At 3:45 am on the 14th, Slovakia vs Northern Ireland, Luxembourg vs Germany.

In the standings of this group, Germany has 9 points and 5 goal differences in 4 games, Slovakia has 9 points and 3 goal differences, and Northern Ireland has 6 points and 1 goal difference. There is not much suspense about Germany defeating Luxembourg, and Slovakia is also expected to win Northern Ireland. In the early morning of the 18th, Germany will fight Slovakia to the death for the first place in the group and the right to directly qualify.

[Group G: Netherlands wins = qualifying]

At 1 a.m., Finland vs. Malta; at 3:45 a.m., Poland vs. the Netherlands.

In the standings of this group, the Netherlands has 16 points and 19 goal differences in 6 games, and Poland has 13 points and 6 goal differences in 6 games. The battle between Poland and the Netherlands will be a key battle to determine the "big brother". As long as the Netherlands wins, they can secure first place in the group in advance. The Netherlands, which has a huge advantage of 13 goal differences, can basically guarantee promotion with 1 point. Since 1979, Poland has never defeated the Netherlands. It is extremely difficult for Poland to upset.

[Group L: Croatia will qualify if they tie]

At 3:45 in the morning, Gibraltar vs Montenegro, Croatia vs Faroe Islands.

In the standings of this group, Croatia tops the list with 16 points and 19 goal difference in 6 games, the Czech Republic has 13 points in 7 games, and the Faroe Islands have 12 points in 7 games. Croatia, with Modric in charge, faced the Faroe Islands, ranked 127th in the world, at home. It was not difficult to score 3 points.

For Croatia, with just one draw and 17 points in 7 games, they can lock in a spot in the 2026 World Cup one round in advance. Since its debut in the 1998 World Cup, Croatia has only missed the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Croatia won the runner-up; in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Croatia won the third place.