4 Takeaways From World Cup Qualifying on Thursday

A big step forward was taken on Thursday for several countries looking to book their tickets to this summer's World Cup. 

A quick reminder — 42 squads of the 48-team field are already in the biggest edition of the tournament ever, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. So that's why Thursday's games were so important.  Now, all eyes turn to Tuesday, which is when those final six spots will be booked.

[WHEN AND WHERE: Full Schedule for 2026 FIFA World Cup ]

Here are the takeaways:

Of all the teams remaining in UEFA qualifying, Turkiye might be the one most other teams will want to avoid in the World Cup.

Young playmakers Arda Guler (Real Madrid) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) power a young Turkish attack with veteran midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan) pulling the strings. Guler assisted the goal in Türkiye's 1-0 win, which was scored by left back Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton).

Türkiye went 4-1-1 in UEFA qualifying but found itself in the playoffs because it was paired with powerhouse Spain, which won Euro 2024. But now the Turks are one game away from solidifying its spot for the summer. 

If it progresses to the World Cup on Tuesday against Slovakia, Türkiye will join Group D at the World Cup with the United States, Australia and Paraguay. The Turks – who defeated the USA last fall in a friendly – may be favored to win that group.

Italy has failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, which is amazing after it won the Euro 2020 championship between two of the tournaments.

There was a lot of tension entering these qualifying games, which saw the Italians take on Northern Ireland on Thursday. Manager Gennaro Gattuso's team won 2-0 thanks to goals from midfielder Sandro Tonali (AC Milan) and