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It was a historic night for one former Manchester United defender and his country The Democratic Republic of Congo secured their first World Cup appearance in 52 years as Axel Tuanzebe’s extra-time goal earned a 1-0 victory over Jamaica. Author | Olivia T Author | Guadalajara Stadium In the build-up to the match, Tuanzebe had described the occasion as the biggest of his career, and the former England youth international, born in Bunia, a city affected by ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, has now etched his name into the country’s football history. Leopards striker Cédric Bakambu had two goals correctly ruled out for offside in normal time, and it felt fitting that such a finely balanced contest required an additional 30 minutes. It was Tuanzebe who ultimately made the difference, reacting quickest as Brian Cipenga’s inswinging corner flicked off Jamaica defender Joel Latibeaudiere and rebounded into the Burnley man in the 100th minute, with the ball bundled over the line via hi...

Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves each struck hat-tricks for Portugal  They booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in sweeping style with a ruthless victory over Armenia. Author |  Natalie R Stadium |  Estádio Do Dragão A shock defeat to the Republic of Ireland in their previous outing, in which captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off, meant a win was required on Sunday to seal qualification. They set about the task with purpose and moved ahead early when Renato Veiga met a Fernandes free-kick with a firm header. Armenia hit back through Eduard Spertsyan, who finished from close range in the 18th minute, but Portugal soon reasserted themselves. Goncalo Ramos restored the lead with a composed finish, and Neves added two more, the second from a free-kick, as Roberto Martinez’s side took full control. A fifth arrived on the stroke of half-time after Ruben Dias was brought down in the area and Fernandes sent the resulting penalty into the corner. There was more goals to com...

Norway are on the brink of reaching their first World Cup in nearly three decades Doubles from Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth secured a commanding victory over Estonia. Author |  Natalie R Stadium | Ullevaal Stadion For much of the first half, Norway struggled to make their dominance count, wasting several promising chances. But Sorloth finally made the breakthrough early in the second half with a header before adding a second moments later. Manchester City’s Haaland then took centre stage, heading in Julian Ryerson’s cross before drilling home his second to seal the contest. Robi Saarma’s strike offered Estonia brief consolation, but it did little to dampen Norwegian celebrations as Ståle Solbakken’s side closed in on a first World Cup appearance since 1998. The current qualifying equation The result marked a seventh consecutive win in qualifying, leaving Norway six points clear at the top of Group I and boasting a goal difference 19 better than Italy’s.= Should...

Excitement is building across the globe for the 2026 World Cup  Let's have a look at who could qualify for the tournament. Author | Greg S The tournament will take place in United States, Mexico and Canada. There are a lot of interesting talking points as the race to quality hots up.  What’s happening in Europe? There are 12 groups, with the winners of each group qualifying for the World Cup and the 12 runners-up going into play-offs alongside the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League group winners that have not already qualified, competing for four extra places. Europe is also the only continent that does not have a team in the intercontinental play-offs. England v Latvia | April 2025 Qualifying started in March, with some teams not even playing their first qualifiers until this month because of the Nations League. Group matches end in November, and the play-offs will be held in March 2026. Some of the the latest World Cup Qualifying news and stories from European Super Footba...

Emotional Messi scores twice in final match in Argentina Lautaro Martinez also scored as the hosts beat Venezuela 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadio Mâs Monumental Messi, 38, was joined by his three sons and received a standing ovation from a crowd of 80,000 in moving scenes before the match. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner captained Argentina to their third World Cup triumph in 2022 and has scored a record 114 goals in 194 games for his country. A closer look at what happened Lionel Messi opened the scoring at the Estadio Monumental, collecting a pass from Julián Álvarez before rifling into the top corner. Argentina, already assured of their place at the 2026 World Cup and leading the South American qualifying table, extended their advantage through Lautaro Martínez ’s diving header, with Messi adding a second soon after. The 37-year-old, Argentina’s record appearance holder, admitted afterwards that he has yet to decide wheth...