Czech Republic reached the World Cup after 20 years
The Czech Republic reached the World Cup for the first time in 20 years by beating Denmark on penalties in their play-off final in Prague.
Denmark possess a significant advantage regarding how easily they won their semi-final. After scoring three times between the 49th and 59th minutes against North Macedonia, their job was done by the hour mark. In contrast, the Czech Republic needed to play 30 extra minutes and a penalty shootout against the Republic of Ireland.
Rasmus Hojlund, the striker on loan at Napoli from Manchester United, was among those to miss for the Danes, hitting the bar with his attempt.
Christian Eriksen was the lone Denmark player to convert a penalty, while Tomas Chory, Tomas Soucek and Michal Sadilek scored for the Czech Republic. Ladislav Krejci was the only player to miss for the hosts.
Pavel Sulc had earlier given the hosts a third-minute lead with a thumping strike, rifling into the back of the net from the edge of the area after a corner was headed partly away.
The opener set the tone for an exciting game, with chances at each end throughout the first half.
Denmark searched for an equaliser, stretching the Czech Republic with numbers and working good passes to striker Hojlund, while the hosts continued to press in the final third.
However, after the break, the game went in a completely different direction as the Czech Republic were forced to sit back and face constant waves of attacks.
Denmark’s persistence eventually paid dividends as Joachim Andersen equalised by heading home a Mikkel Damsgaard free-kick.
To their credit, the Czech Republic set up well to stymie Denmark’s attempts, remaining compact and covering spaces to try to keep their opponents out.
Having kept energy in reserve, the Czechs were much improved once extra time began and got back in front as Krejci sent an effort in off the boot of Denmark defender Alexander Bah.
Denmark levelled in the 111th minute as substitute Kasper Hogh glanced a header into the top corner, only to flounder when it came to spot-kicks.
The result means the Czech Republic are heading to the World Cup, having last appeared on the global stage in 2006, while Denmark will be absent for the first time since the 2014 tournament.
Denmark possesses a significant advantage regarding how easily they won their semi-final. After scoring three times between the 49th and 59th minutes against North Macedonia, their job was done by the hour mark. In contrast, the Czech Republic needed to play 30 extra minutes and a penalty shootout against the Republic of Ireland.
The Czech Republic did not perform impressively during the group stage. They suffered a 5-1 defeat in Croatia, while their two matches against the Faroe Islands resulted in an aggregate score of 3-3.
After they only narrowly defeated a limited Irish team in their home semi-final, the Czech Republic’s tournament ambitions should conclude here. Backing Denmark to win seems good with an implied probability of 48.8%.
Czech defence to struggle again
Since the start of 2024, the Czech Republic have only kept eight clean sheets in 24 matches. Two of those shutouts came against Gibraltar, while another was against San Marino. The better teams have generally found ways to breach their defence.
That bodes well for Denmark’s chances in this tie. The visitors are expected to go with Rasmus Hojlund up front again. He’s enjoying a good season in Italy, having scored 10 goals in 26 Serie A appearances for Napoli.
Denmark has been in great form in front of goal in their recent matches. They’ve scored at least twice in all of their last six internationals. They registered 20 goals across that period, which indicates there is value in backing them to score over 1.5 goals in this match.
Sweden qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic 3–2 victory over Poland in the UEFA play-off final on March 31, 2026. The win, orchestrated by manager Graham Potter, marks Sweden’s first World Cup appearance since 2018 and serves as revenge for their 2022 play-off loss to the same opponent.
Poland pushed hard for a winner and only Victor Lindelof’s last-ditch clearance prevented a Sebastian Szymanski corner from curling all the way in and giving the visitors the lead for the first time, and Sweden made that reprieve count.
