In Group A, Qatar defeated the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in a crucial match in Doha. Second-half goals from captain Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel ensured the 2022 World Cup hosts qualified for next summer’s finals across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Earlier, Qatar had struggled in World Cup history, becoming the first host nation in 2022 to lose all three group-stage matches. This victory, however, marked a successful qualification on merit.

Khoukhi opened the scoring four minutes into the second half with a header from Akram Afif’s free-kick, followed by Miguel doubling the lead on 74 minutes after capitalizing on a UAE goalkeeping error.

Despite a late red card for Tarek Salman and a stoppage-time goal from UAE substitute Sultan Adil, Qatar held on to seal their spot.

In Group B, Saudi Arabia booked their place at a third consecutive World Cup finals by securing a 0-0 draw with Iraq at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. The 2034 hosts, who famously defeated Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, needed only a draw to advance to their seventh World Cup appearance.

Saudi Arabia had several chances to score, with Saud Abdulhamid, Saleh Abu Al Shamat, and captain Salem Al Dawsari all denied by Iraq’s goalkeeper Jalal Hassan. It was a crucial late save by Nawaf Al Aqidi that confirmed their qualification, sparking celebrations among the 60,000-strong crowd.

Meanwhile, Iraq, last participants in 1986, remain in contention for a World Cup spot. Next month, they will face the UAE in a two-legged playoff, with the winner advancing to the intercontinental playoff.

South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal also advance

South Africa, Ivory Coast and Senegal all won convincingly on Tuesday to fill the last three automatic places reserved for Africa at the 2026 World Cup.

Senegal were the most impressive winners, hammering Mauritania 4-0, while Ivory Coast beat Kenya 3-0 and South Africa were also 3-0 winners, against Rwanda.

The trio will join Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia at the global showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria kept alive hopes of swelling the African representation to 10 nations by finishing as the four best-ranked runners-up.

They will meet in two single-match semi-finals and a final in Morocco during November and the winners advance to inter-continental play-offs in March with two World Cup places up for grabs.

Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane scored just before and after half-time for Group B table-toppers Senegal, with Iliman Ndiaye and Habib Diallo also netting for the Teranga Lions.

Senegal finished with 24 points, two more than DR Congo, who edged Sudan 1-0 in Kinshasa through a Theo Bongonda goal.

Manchester United winger Amad Diallo completed the scoring for the Ivory Coast, who led from the seventh minute in a convincing triumph over Kenya in Abidjan.

Franck Kessie put the reigning African champions ahead and Yan Diomande added the second goal soon after half-time.

Ivory Coast topped Group F with 26 points, one more than Gabon. Gambia overwhelmed the Seychelles 7-0 to come third.

Thalente Mbatha and Oswin Appollis scored for South Africa in the first half and Evidence Makgopa sealed victory with a goal midway through the second period in Mbombela.

South Africa topped Group C with 18 points, one more than Nigeria, who hammered third-placed Benin 4-0 in Uyo with Victor Osimhen claiming a hat-trick.

It will be the fourth appearance by South Africa at the global showpiece. They qualified for the 1998 and 2002 tournaments and were automatic participants in 2010 as the host nation.

Amazing feeling

Belgium-born South Africa coach Hugo Broos was thrilled as he represented his country as a player at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and wanted to coach a team at the tournament before retiring.

“We all knew that we could do it, we believed in ourselves. We are going to the World Cup and it is fantastic,” said the 73-year-old.

“In the last three years we changed players and every time it was the right choice. What happened tonight is the work of three years and the future looks very bright for South African football.

“We have the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco during December and then the World Cup. There are no words to express how I feel.”

Winger Appollis was voted player of the match after scoring and creating the other goals as South Africa regained their scoring touch after failing to find the net in a draw with Zimbabwe last Friday.

“What an amazing feeling for the group going to the World Cup. I am so happy for the boys,” he told reporters.

“I know we had a draw in our last game, but I knew that we would come here to Mbombela tonight and win.”

Qualification was a huge relief for South Africa, who saw a five-point lead with four rounds remaining turn into a two-point deficit behind Benin entering the final round.

South Africa dropped points in home draws with Nigeria and Zimbabwe and forfeited three points for fielding the ineligible Teboho Mokoena in a victory over Lesotho.

South Africa needed to beat Rwanda and hope Nigeria defeated Benin, and that is what transpired with the home teams making dream starts.

Nigeria were ahead within three minutes through Osimhen while Mbatha scored the first South African goal with just five minutes gone.

A snap shot from Appollis midway through the opening half put South Africa in control and Rwanda spent most of the match on the back foot.

Makgopa, a late call-up in place of the injured Iqraam Rayners, headed into the net off a corner on 72 minutes to complete the scoring.

Osimhen netted a second time before half-time and completed his hat-trick six minutes into the second half. An added-time goal from Frank Onyeka completed the rout.

England rout Latvia

Harry Kane scored twice as England secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a 5-0 thrashing of Latvia on Tuesday.

Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in Riga before Kane took his tally for club and country this season to 21 goals in 13 games.

A Maksims Tonisevs own-goal and Eberechi Eze’s strike rounded off the scoring as the Three Lions guaranteed top spot in Group K of UEFA qualifying with two games to spare.

Thomas Tuchel has completed his first task with ease as his side became the first European nation to qualify.

England have won all six of their qualifiers since the German took charge, scoring 18 goals without conceding.

“It comes rarely that you qualify for a World Cup, so the mood is very, very good,” said Tuchel. “In the dressing room, it’s all smiles, music. It’s a moment to enjoy because it’s a special moment.”

After a slow start to Tuchel’s reign with unconvincing victories over Albania and Andorra, plus a friendly defeat to Senegal in June, England have clicked into gear over the past two international breaks.

“Of course we expect us to win against Latvia, but the way we won first of all gives us a lot of satisfaction,” added Tuchel.

“We did it six out of six wins, six clean sheets. We are there and to have this feeling is a very unique feeling.”

Tuchel’s decision to leave out fit-again Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from his squad this month was questioned.

But the former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss has been rewarded for implementing continuity with his selection.

Gordon is one of those to benefit from a run of games on the left of a front three.

The Newcastle winger opened the floodgates when he cut inside to curl into the far corner for just his second England goal on 26 minutes.

Building momentum

Kane had uncharacteristically missed a glorious early chance when he steered a Gordon cross wide.

The Bayern Munich striker soon found his range with two goals in four minutes at the end of the first half to take his international tally to 76 in 110 caps.

Despite losing his balance, Kane steered a shot into the far corner off his weaker left foot to double England’s lead.

Kane then accepted the gift of a soft penalty award for holding of his shirt by Latvia captain Antonijs Cernomordijs.

“I spoke before about building momentum, no matter who we play,” said Kane.

“We hold on to that. Hold on to winning games, to clean sheets, to pressing high, scoring goals and we’ve done all of that.”

England were able to coast through the second period despite five substitutions disrupting the visitors’s attacking flow.

The fourth goal was a self-inflicted blow by Latvia as the ball looped into his own net off Tonisevs after goalkeeper Krisjanis Zviedris failed to connect with Djed Spence’s cross.

Eze was one of those introduced after the break and the Arsenal playmaker rounded off the scoring with a fine run and finish on 86 minutes.

England have not failed to qualify for a World Cup since it was last in the USA back in 1994.

The hard work for Tuchel now starts in trying to deliver his adopted nation’s first major trophy since 1966.

Hard decisions lie ahead with Bellingham, Foden, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer among those not even in the travelling squad to Riga.

But England will travel across the Atlantic in June among the favourites to win a first ever World Cup on foreign soil.

COMMERCE CITY, Colorado — Haji Wright scored goals either side of half-time to help the United States defeat Australia 2-1 in a friendly on Tuesday night.

The Coventry City striker’s brace helped the hosts overcome Jordan Bos‘ 19th minute opener, with both goals assisted by midfielder Cristian Roldan.

The win for the U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to three games, while Australia saw its own 11-game run under manager Tony Popovic come to an end. It was also the first time in nine games that U.S. won under Mauricio Pochettino after conceding first.

Jeff Carlisle and Joey Lynch take a look at the major talking points from the match.

– As it happened: Wright inspires USMNT past Socceroos
– Pulisic subbed off early in USMNT friendly with Australia
– 2026 World Cup: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it

1. Wright shows striker competition is still open

After Folarin Balogun scored in each of his last two U.S. games, it was beginning to look like he had gained some separation in the race to secure the starting striker spot. It was perhaps a bit puzzling then when Pochettino decided to hand Wright a start in Balogun’s place. After all, Wright hadn’t started for the U.S. since September of 2024 against New Zealand.

The move proved to be a master stroke, as Wright scored twice, though it wasn’t obvious at the start. In the opening minutes Wright looked a bit lost, and seemed oddly reluctant to exploit the space in behind that the Australia back-line was giving him.

But Wright stuck to his task, latching onto a through ball from Roldan in the 33rd minute to score with his right foot past Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. Then, six minutes into the second half, he ran through on another Roldan pass, left defender Cameron Burgess in a heap on the ground, and curled his effort past Ryan into the Australia goal.

If the World Cup were to start tomorrow, Balogun would likely get the start for the U.S., but Wright’s goals have kept him in the running, and have boosted his chances of earning a spot in the U.S. World Cup roster. — Carlisle

2. Socceroos’ unbeaten streak finally snapped

It was going to have to come to an end at some point. For the first time in the Popovic era, the Socceroos have lost a match, ending an 11-game run that began with his first game in charge last September and that had produced wins across the side’s last seven games.

There are all the necessary qualifications about this being a friendly staged with a bigger, World Cup-shaped goal in mind — even if Popovic and his staff rejected this narrative in the build-up to the game — but particularly disappointing for the Socceroos will be that Tuesday evening’s defeat came despite Bos putting them ahead after 19 minutes.

Defending has long been the great strength of this team, even before Popovic’s arrival, but as one would expect from the former defender, this has only been reinforced in recent times. And it’s hardly panic stations for the Australians yet.

Nonetheless, two lapses in concentration were all it took for Wright to get in behind and, as the Championship‘s leading scorer showed, players that are in-form and playing at the highest level will punish you if you give them the scope to. As the Socceroos shifted into chasing the match — a game-state largely unseen since their late draw against Bahrain last November — the United States were able to capitalise and create a series of looks on goal that, with slightly sharper finishing, could have easily blown the lead out further. — Lynch

3. Roldan bounces back from slow start

It’s stunning to think that two months ago, Roldan didn’t seem anywhere near a World Cup roster spot. He was even an afterthought for the September window, only to earn a late call-up and then put in an outstanding shift in the 2-0 win over Japan.

On Tuesday, Roldan once again helped his cause with another big-time performance, one made all the more impressive given how it started. The U.S. had plenty of possession to start, but then out of nothing, in the 19th minute, Bos broke through the U.S. defense with Chris Richards and Roldan both needing to do better to thwart the left back’s slaloming run.

But Roldan rebounded impressively. He quickly put his stamp on the U.S. attack, and twice came close to scoring on shots that just missed the target. Following his assist on Wright’s first goal, Roldan engaged in some quick-thinking to set up Wright’s second. After Alex Freeman won a free kick on the right wing, Roldan had the presence of mind to take it quickly and immediately put Wright in a one-on-one situation that he duly converted.

Like Wright, Roldan did plenty to increase his chances of making a second consecutive World Cup roster. The Seattle Sounders midfielder has a lot of bodies to climb over in order to reach that goal, some of whom have an impressive pedigree. But Roldan seems to be a favorite of Pochettino’s for his contributions both on and off the field, and if he continues to perform at this level, it will be near impossible to leave him off the World Cup roster. — Carlisle

4. Pulisic injury casts a pall on October window

After a successful September window, one of the hopes for Christian Pulisic in October was to see him perform alongside more of the USMNT’s first-choice lineup. It wasn’t to be. An ankle injury saw Pulisic limited to just 17 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Ecuador. It’s unclear if Pulisic injured the same ankle against Australia, but what is known is that he was on the receiving end of several heavy challenges. After Australia’s Jason Geria was booked in the 26th minute for a transition tackle on Pulisic, the U.S. attacker was forced off two minutes later.

The decision by Pochettino to take Pulisic off made sense. There was no reason to risk his star’s health further, especially given the fine form that the U.S. attacker has been in for AC Milan. Yet the injury is still a blow for the USMNT, at least in the context of this window. The World Cup countdown clock is ticking, and the more Pochettino can get his top players on the field at the same time, the better. Now that will have to wait until next month, assuming Pulisic heals up in time. — Carlisle

5. Australia’s loss could come at a big cost

Thanks to their win over Canada, combined with Austria‘s shock 1-0 loss to Romania in European qualifying, the Socceroos had entered Tuesday evening ranked 24 in the FIFA rankings. It’s a position that would have vaulted the Socceroos into Pot 2, and potentially a weaker World Cup group, should the draw have taken place that day.

Tuesday’s 2-1 loss, however, has put a dent in these hopes. While a loss on the road against a 16th-ranked United States won’t necessarily cost them a significant amount of ranking points — nowhere near close to the 14.88 that Austria was docked for their loss to the Romanians — Australia will nonetheless slip backwards.

Will this defeat ultimately prove costly? We can’t know for certain, but with a clash with defending World Cup champions and world No. 2 Argentina, in India, of all places, heavily rumoured to be one of the Socceroos’ opponents in the November window (and 21st-ranked Iran another rumoured opponent in that window), the Australians may have a mountain to climb before December’s draw. — Lynch

6. Bos shows why he is considered one of Australia’s best

As disappointing as the loss will be, the night wasn’t a total waste for Australia, with Bos putting in another performance that, despite some stiff competition from the likes of Nestory Irankunda and Mo Touré, separates him as the most exciting talent coming through in green-and-gold.

Coming into the window fresh off being named the Eredivisie player of the month, the first Australian to scoop the honour, the 22-year-old instantly changed the dynamic of the game when he came on as a second-half substitute against Canada and was amongst Australia’s best when he started against the United States on Tuesday evening.

Blessed with rare athleticism, the left wing-back’s ability to tirelessly get up and down the touchline adds a critical ability to break lines and advance field position in Popovic’s system and his goal — pouncing on a loose ball, forcing his way through three American defenders, bundling over Roldan, and finishing into the bottom corner — was emblematic of the combination of skill and physical power he brings to the game.

Bos set a then-Australian transfer record when he transferred from Melbourne City to KVC Westerlo back in 2023 and the subsequent reported €5 million move he made to Feyenoord this season already looks like a bargain for the Dutch giants. Give it a year or two, and it’s hard to see how the one-time Point Cook junior isn’t playing, and starting, in one of the world’s biggest leagues. — Lynch