Sweden One Win Away From 2026 World Cup Qualification After Defeating Ukraine in Playoff Semifinal

Valencia. Under the management of Graham Potter, Sweden is now just one victory away from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Sweden reached a decisive stage in their World Cup journey after defeating Ukraine 3-1 in the playoff semifinal held in Valencia, Spain, on Thursday night.

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres was the man of the match in Sweden's victory, scoring a spectacular hat-trick. Gyökeres, who had not scored in the 2026 qualification phase until now, displayed an aggressive form from the start against Ukraine.

He gave his team the lead with the first goal in the sixth minute of the match. He then added his second goal in the 51st minute and completed his hat-trick via a penalty in the 73rd minute, successfully taking the match ball home.

Sweden will now face Poland next Tuesday for a ticket to the World Cup. Poland secured a spot in the final by defeating Albania 2-1 in their respective match, in which 37-year-old legendary forward Robert Lewandowski also scored.

Similarly, Kosovo, ranked 78th in the FIFA rankings, has shown signs of creating new history in world football. After coming from behind twice against Slovakia to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory, Kosovo will debut in the World Cup for the first time if they defeat Turkey.

Turkey, on the other hand, confirmed their meeting with Kosovo by defeating Romania 1-0. Brighton full-back Ferdi Kadıoğlu scored the decisive goal in Turkey's victory.

On another note, Denmark registered a comprehensive 4-0 victory over North Macedonia. All four goals in the match held in Copenhagen were scored in the second half. Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard opened the scoring, while Arsenal midfielder Christian Nørgaard added the fourth goal.