France's national team defeated Ukraine 4-0, securing their place in the 2026 World Cup.

The French national team, world vice-champion, secured its place at the 2026 World Cup with a clear 4-0 victory against Ukraine, demonstrating excellent form in the European qualifiers. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring from a penalty in the 55th minute and scored again in the 83rd minute, completing a double. Michael Olise scored in the 76th minute, and Hugo Ekitike closed the score in the 88th minute. With this victory, France has a six-point lead over Iceland and Ukraine, with one match remaining.

On the other hand, Portugal had a disastrous evening, losing 0-2 to Ireland, after a double from Troy Parrott. The situation became even more complicated for Roberto Martínez's team when Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in the 61st minute for an elbow strike. In Group F, Hungary defeated Armenia 1-0, maintaining a tight competition for first place.

Norway continued its perfect run in Group I, defeating Estonia 4-1, while Italy secured a late 2-0 victory against Moldova. In Group K, Albania won 1-0 away against Andorra, and England defeated Serbia 2-0. The winners of the 12 preliminary groups will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the other four spots will be decided through a playoff.