The group stage completed this Tuesday gave way to a table as readable as it is formidable: the hats for the European play-offs are now set, and the month of March promises to be under high tension. Sixteen selections will play for their global survival over barely two matches, at the end of a system which will spare no one, not even the headliners.
The seeded players face trapped obstacles
Italy, as expected, appears in pot 1, along with Denmark, Turkey and Ukraine. A logical status given the ranking and the level displayed, but which does not guarantee anything. The draw can be brutal: Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia or Northern Ireland will face these favorites. For the Squadra Azzurra, the specter of the past immediately resurfaces: the Swedes deprived it of the World Cup in 2017, and North Macedonia signed one of the biggest earthquakes in the play-offs in 2022. In other words, no opponent will be taken lightly.
Intermediate forces in ambush
Pot 2, made up of Poland, Wales, Czechia and Slovakia, also inherits a far from comfortable picture. The selections in this group will have to do battle with opponents from Pot 3 who are not timid outsiders: Ireland, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Kosovo. Rough profiles, used to closed matches and capable of turning a confrontation on a detail.
A merciless format for only four elected officials
The principle remains the same: a semi-final, then a final, both by direct elimination. The draw on Thursday (1:00 p.m. French time) will determine not only the posters, but also the hosts of the finals, a crucial element in confrontations where the slightest breath from the public can weigh heavily. On the 16 teams enteredalone
4 will get their ticket for the 2026 World Cup.
A road to the World Cup full of uncertainties
These roadblocks, considered the toughest since the introduction of the expanded format, promise continued suspense. No giant is safe, no emerging nation leaves beaten. Next March, Europe will experience a decisive sprint where history will remind us that, often, roadblocks forgive nothing.
