Idman.biz
Today, the next matches will be held in the European zone of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Idman.biz reports that there is great interest in the matches in Group E in particular. In this group, the national teams of Azerbaijan's neighboring countries (Turkey and Georgia) are competing.
The brotherly Turkish national team is in a difficult situation both in the tournament table and psychologically after being defeated 0:6 in the home game against Spain in the previous round. Therefore, Vincenzo Montella's team must win today's away match against Bulgaria.
The Georgian national team is facing a tough test. The team will face European champion Spain away. The main hope of the Georgians is the appearance of their leading player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. His participation was initially in doubt. However, even Khvicha's participation may not be enough for a positive result against Spain.
The Turkish and Georgian national teams each have three points and are considered direct rivals for second place. Therefore, the matches in this round can be decisive for both teams.
In Group F, the Portuguese national team, which shows a 100% result like Spain, will host Ireland at home today and will most likely not have any difficulties. At the same time, the Hungarian team, which started the cycle with a defeat and a draw, must win at home against Armenia in order to keep their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
In Group I, the central match of the day will be between the national teams of Norway and Israel. If the Scandinavians, who have collected 15 points from five games, win this match, they will almost secure a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
However, Italy, which is six points behind the group leader but has one game in reserve, is still not out of the fight for first place. Gennaro Gattuso's team must win all remaining matches, including today's away match against Estonia, to maintain this chance.
In Group K, the main rivals for second place - Albania (eight points) and Serbia (seven points) - will face each other on Saturday. England, which has collected 15 points from five games, confidently continues to lead and will have no problem qualifying for the World Cup.
In this group, the Latvian national team, which has four points, will also face outsider Andorra. If the home team wins easily, it will still be able to continue the fight for qualification in theoretical terms, although this does not seem realistic.
Teymur Tushiyev
