LONDON – Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France eased into the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals with a 4-0 success against Ukraine while England, the only other nation guaranteed a place at present, made it seven wins from seven in their group.
Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off as Troy Parrott fired the Republic of Ireland to a sensational 2-0 victory against Portugal to set up a qualifying showdown with Hungary.
France 4-0 Ukraine
France beat Ukraine 4-0 to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals, AFP reported.
With one game still to come in Azerbaijan on Sunday, France has an unassailable six-point lead over both Iceland and Ukraine at the top of European qualifying Group D.
Winners of the World Cup in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France maintains their record of having made it to every edition of the tournament since missing out on a place in the United States in 1994.
While they can look forward to the draw for the finals, which takes place in Washington, DC, on December 5, Ukraine and Iceland meet each other on Sunday in a shootout to decide who continues on into the playoffs next March.
France’s only slip-up in qualifying came in a draw in Iceland last month, although they have rarely found their fluid best during a low-key campaign.
Mbappe scored twice while Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitike were also on target to give the two-time world champions a comfortable win and an unassailable lead at the top of their qualifying group with one game still to play.
Ireland 2-0 Portugal
Ronaldo was sent off for an elbow as his Portugal side lost 2-0 against Ireland and blew another chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Portugal still led the group on 10 points, two ahead of Hungary and three in front of Ireland, with one match remaining on Sunday. The team that finishes top reaches the World Cup automatically.
Ireland was again forced to defend deep after the break but were helped by Ronaldo’s red card after an hour.
The 40-year-old striker showed his frustration by swinging an elbow into O’Shea’s back, and after a VAR review was dismissed.
It completed a disappointing pair of matches for Ronaldo against Ireland, after he missed a penalty when the sides met in Portugal in October.
Ronaldo, the men’s all-time top goalscorer in international football, could potentially miss the start of the World Cup if Portugal qualify, depending on the length of his ban.
Troy Parrott struck twice in the first half to keep Ireland’s hopes of reaching next summer’s tournament alive with a famous victory against Ronaldo and his team-mates in a Group F qualifier.
With Portugal chasing a way back into the game their frustrated captain Ronaldo was dismissed for elbowing Dara O’Shea in the back.
England 2-0 Serbia
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze maintained England’s flawless record on the road to the World Cup but Jude Bellingham was reduced to a cameo role in the 2-0 win against Serbia.
Saka struck in the first half at Wembley before his Arsenal team-mate Eze netted in the closing stages to ensure England, who had already qualified for the World Cup, made it seven successive Group K victories without conceding a goal.
After scoring 13 times in their previous three matches, this was a more prosaic England display, with Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Bellingham out of his starting line-up capturing most of the attention.
Tuchel opted to select Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers instead of Bellingham before sending on the Real Madrid star with 26 minutes left.
Bellingham had missed England’s previous four matches, with a shoulder injury sidelining him in September before Tuchel left him out in October.
Rogers excelled in the number 10 role while deputising for Bellingham during England’s wins over Wales and Latvia in October.
And Tuchel this week warned Bellingham that he would have to fight for his place in the starting line-up at the World Cup.
There have been reports that Bellingham has sometimes been a polarising figure among the England squad and Tuchel was forced to apologise to the 22-year-old earlier this season after revealing his mother found the fiery star’s on-pitch behaviour “repulsive”.
After England travel to Albania for their last qualifier on Sunday, Tuchel has only two friendlies remaining in March before he has to name his World Cup squad.
The German’s handling of Bellingham will likely be the main topic from now until the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.
England’s 5-0 win in Serbia in September was the first sign that Tuchel was starting to stamp his mark on the team after a slow start to his reign.
