Italy out, Sweden, Turkiye in: How UEFA's FIFA World Cup playoffs went

Four nations punched their tickets to the 2026 World Cup on a dramatic Tuesday night across Europe, headlined by a monumental upset which saw four-time champions Italy fail to qualify for an unprecedented third consecutive tournament. 

Teams That Qualified:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Czechia

• Sweden

• Türkiye

Teams Eliminated:

• Italy

• Denmark

• Poland

• Kosovo

Here is a breakdown of how the four decisive playoff finals unfolded:

In the biggest shock of the round, Bosnia and Herzegovina dumped heavyweights Italy out of the World Cup to secure their first appearance at the tournament since their independent debut in 2014. 

The Azzurri initially looked in total control after Moise Kean curled home a brilliant first-time finish from the edge of the box in the 15th minute. However, the match turned completely when Italian centre-back Alessandro Bastoni was shown a straight red card before halftime for a professional last-man foul.

Capitalising on the numerical advantage at the Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica, Bosnia applied relentless pressure and finally equalised in the 79th minute through a tap-in from substitute Haris Tabakovic. 

In the ensuing penalty shootout, the hosts were flawless, converting all four kicks in front of an electrified home crowd, while Italy crumbled under the pressure, missing their first and third attempts. Italy now holds the grim distinction of being the first former World Cup winner to miss three consecutive tournaments.

Under the lights of the Fortuna Arena in Prague, Czechia ended a 20-year World Cup exile by overcoming favourites Denmark in a penalty shootout. 

The Central European nation twice took the lead during regulation, only to squander their advantage both times against a resilient Danish side, resulting in a 2-2 draw after extra time.

However, Czechia held their nerve in the shootout, with Michal Sadílek dispatching the decisive penalty. 

The victory confirms Czechia's second-ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation (their last being in 2006), rewarding a resilient squad anchored by Tomás Soucek and Patrik Schick. They will now join Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea in Group A of the tournament.

In a thrilling five-goal encounter, Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres played the ultimate hero for Sweden, scoring an 88th-minute winner to send his nation to their first World Cup since 2018. After the game, Robert Lewandowski announced his retirement from international football.

Türkiye ground out a gritty 1-0 victory over Kosovo to finally end a painful 24-year World Cup drought. Vincenzo Montella's squad, widely dubbed a new "Golden Generation" for the country, secured the narrow away win to ensure Türkiye will return to the global stage for the first time since their historic run to the semi-finals in South Korea and Japan in 2002.