Four-time World Cup winners Italy hope to end a 12-year absence from football’s biggest stage on Tuesday, while Kosovo are dreaming of a first ever appearance at a major tournament.
AFP Sport previews the play-off finals that will decide the last four European qualifiers for this summer’s 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada:
Gennaro Gattuso, a 2006 World Cup winner, is trying to lead Italy back to the tournament after the Azzurri missed out on the 2018 and 2022 editions, but they can expect a hostile atmosphere in Zenica.
Italy players were caught on camera celebrating when Bosnia beat Wales in the semifinals on Thursday, although Inter Milan defender Federico Dimarco insisted no disrespect was intended.
Bosnia’s 40-year-old captain Edin Dzeko, who scored a late equalizer against Wales and spent almost a decade playing in Serie A, went to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil – his country’s first as an independent nation.
Dzeko says Italy are “big favorites” to take the final spot in Group B, which includes Canada, Switzerland and Qatar. Viktor Gyokeres stepped up in the absence of the injured Alexander Isak to lead Sweden past Ukraine and to the cusp of just a second World Cup in 20 years.
Graham Potter’s Sweden, whose win over Ukraine was their first of the qualifying campaign, will be at home in Stockholm against a Poland side seeking to go to a third successive World Cup.
Robert Lewandowski scored his 89th international last week as Poland came from behind to beat Albania in the semifinals. The winner of this tie will go into Group F with the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia. Kosovo, the lowest ranked team to make the play-offs, are potentially 90 minutes away from reaching a first major tournament, a decade on from their admission to UEFA and FIFA.
They edged Slovakia 4-3 in Bratislava to set up a clash with Turkiye, who have not played at the World Cup since a surprise third-place finish in 2002. Turkiye beat Romania 1-0 with a goal from Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu.
“We are in euphoria right now but we need to play the last game with calm,” said Kosovo coach Franco Foda.
Kosovo will have home advantage in Pristina against Euro 2024 quarter-finalists Turkiye. A place in Group D alongside the United States, Australia and Paraguay awaits the winner. The Czechs rallied from two goals down to get past the Republic of Ireland on penalties, and will stay in Prague as a fancied Denmark attempt to crash the party.
Denmark missed out on automatic qualification after a dramatic defeat in Scotland in November, but four second-half goals saw them comfortably brush aside North Macedonia in Copenhagen to stay in the hunt.
The Czech Republic last went to the World Cup in 2006, while Denmark have played at three of the last four finals. Tuesday’s winning team will complete Group A with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.