World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: England, France & Norway

As the November World Cup qualifiers got underway last night, more nations were looking to book their tickets to the World Cup in the summer of 2026. Here's a rundown of all the standout action.

Seven up for England

Already assured of their place at next summer's World Cup after the last international break, Thomas Tuchel's England side would have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas. Instead, the Three Lions continued their dominant run of form in Group K. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze sealed a 2-0 victory over Serbia, extending England's perfect record to seven wins from seven, and remarkably, they've yet to concede a single goal.

Ronaldo sees red

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a night to forget as the Portugal captain was shown his first-ever international red card in a shock 2-0 defeat to Ireland. Already trailing to a first-half brace from Troy Parrott, Ronaldo's frustration boiled over on the hour mark when he appeared to elbow Dara O'Shea, earning an early exit. Despite the setback, Portugal remain top of Group F and look certain to qualify, but with Ronaldo facing a likely two-match ban, the veteran forward could miss the World Cup opener.

Norway on the brink

Having last tasted World Cup football in 1998, Norway look to be on the brink of qualification this time round. Braces from both Alexander Sorloth and the irrepressible Erling Haaland saw Stale Solbakken's side power past Estonia in a 4-1 victory. Norway now hold a six-point lead over Italy in Group I, meaning the Italian's would need to defeat both Moldova and Norway, and overturn a 19-goal deficit to pip the Norwegians to top spot.

Bleu Heaven

France were the next side to book their place at next summer's World Cup. Goals from Michael Olise, Hugo Ekitike, who scored his first international goal, and a brace from Kylian Mbappe saw Les Bleus storm past Ukraine in Group D. The result leaves Ukraine and Iceland level on seven points, setting up a decisive showdown on Sunday to determine who advances to next March's play-offs.

The remaining qualifiers unfold over the coming days, and with plenty of places still up for grabs, expect a high-stakes round of fixtures as nations fight to keep their World Cup dreams alive.