Poland and Portugal have qualified for the 2022 Men’s World Cup after their victories in the UEFA playoff finals on TUE 29 MAR 2022. Poland defeated Sweden 2-0, and Portugal edged North Macedonia by the same scoreline.

N Macedonia advanced to the final after a tense semifinal match in Palermo. Aleksandar TRAJKOVSKI scored in stoppage time to defeat Italy 1-0, leaving the Azzurri to miss out on the Men’s World Cup for the second consecutive time.

In the final, Bruno FERNANDES’s two goals led Portugal to their eighth Men’s World Cup appearance, as N Macedonia missed out on a potential début appearance.

Poland qualified with a win over Sweden, as Robert LEWANDOWSKI and Piotr ZIELIŃSKI both found net in the second half. Poland advanced automatically from the semifinals after Russia were disqualified in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.

UEFA’s thirteenth and last place at the Men’s World Cup will be decided in JUN 2022. Scotland face Ukraine in a rescheduled semifinal, with Wales awaiting the winner.

• Qualified: Poland, Portugal
• Eliminated: Austria, Czech Rep, Italy, N Macedonia, Sweden, Turkey
• Remaining matches: Scotland-Ukraine, Wales v winner SCO-UKR