The European field is narrowing, as 16 teams advanced through the first round of UEFA’s 2027 World Cup playoffs on Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes Round 2 with eight trips to Brazil on the line.
Poland brought the drama, erasing a 1-0 deficit to Belgium in extra time off an Ewa Pajor equalizer before winning 4-3 on penalties.
Back-to-back Euros champion England cruised past Greece 8-1 on aggregate, while the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Wales rounded out the list.
League A winners Denmark, France, Germany, and reigning winner Spain have already qualified, leaving 16 teams to battle through two rounds of home-and-away playoffs.
This week’s victors now move to late November’s Round 2, with the seven top teams qualifying for Brazil while the eighth drops to February's inter-confederation playoffs.
