The 2026 World Cup qualifiers are in full swing as attention turns to next summer’s tournament.
Spain got their campaign off to a winning start, beating Bulgaria 3-0 away from home in a dominant performance from the European champions.
However, it was a different story for some of Europe’s other powerhouses.
Read on to discover how the night unfolded across the continent.
Slovakia 2-0 Germany: Slovaks stun German giants
Slovakia stunned Germany with a famous 2-0 victory in Bratislava to open their World Cup qualifying campaign in sensational fashion.
The hosts took a deserved lead shortly before half-time when David Hancko combined brilliantly with David Strelec, slotting coolly past Oliver Baumann to send the home crowd into raptures.
It was no more than Slovakia merited after an impressive first-half display that also saw Sauer denied by a smart save and Duda strike the post.
Germany, disjointed and lacking intensity, created a handful of opportunities through Florian Wirtz and Maximilian Mittelstadt, but Martin Dubravka stood firm to preserve Slovakia’s lead at the break.
Any hopes of a German revival were crushed ten minutes into the second half. Strelec produced a moment of magic, twisting past Antonio Rudiger on the edge of the box before curling a stunning left-footed strike into the far corner. The stadium erupted as Slovakia doubled their advantage.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side pushed late on, with Nadiem Amiri missing a golden chance from close range, but Slovakia remained firm to record a famous night
Netherlands 1-1 Poland: Dutch held by Polish opponents
The Netherlands saw their perfect start to World Cup qualifying halted after being held to a 1-1 draw by Poland in Rotterdam.
Ronald Koeman’s side dominated the contest, enjoying over 74% possession and carving out the better chances, but they were punished late on by a moment of brilliance from Matty Cash.
The hosts began brightly and were unfortunate not to score early when Tijjani Reijnders struck the post, while Cody Gakpo and Denzel Dumfries both forced saves from Lukasz Skorupski. Their pressure told in the 28th minute when Dumfries rose unmarked at the far post to head in Memphis Depay’s corner, giving the Oranje a deserved lead.
Poland created little before half-time, with Piotr Zielinski and Sebastian Szymanski both shooting wide from distance, but they stayed in the game and grew into the second half. The Dutch continued to press, with Xavi Simons and Depay going close, yet their inability to kill off the game proved costly.
Ten minutes from time, Cash pounced on a loose ball 25 yards out and unleashed a thunderous strike into the top corner, stunning the De Kuip crowd and earning Poland a valuable point.
The Netherlands remain top of Group A, though their winning run is over.
European results in full
Luxembourg 1-3
Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Georgia 2-3 Turkey
Bulgaria 0-3 Spain
Lithuania 1-1 Malta
Netherlands 1-1 Poland
Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
Liectenstein 0-6 Belgium
