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The World Cup European zone qualifying matches have reached their climax. Teams have two matches left to play in their groups on October 8 and 12, and for many teams, the qualifying cycle will end next week. Some group winners might be determined this Saturday. Eight teams - the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, and Sweden - have varying chances of securing a place in the World Cup before the final round. In addition to group winners, the two best second-place teams will also qualify for next year's World Cup in Germany. (The results of the seven teams playing in groups with the last-placed team will not be counted in determining these rankings.) The other six teams will be divided into pairs, and the winners of these play-off matches will also advance to the World Cup. So before the crucial matches, let's look at the situation in the groups: Group 1 In the first group, the Netherlands would secure the win by playing at least a draw away with the Czech Republic. Even if they lose, the "Oranje" wouldn't lose much - in that case, they would only need to beat Macedonia at home in their final match. The Czech national team is the most likely contender for the second place. Theoretically, the Czech Republic could still be overtaken by the Romanian footballers, who not only need to beat Finland but also hope that the Czechs will not get more than one point in the remaining two matches. The Czech national team will play against the Finns in the last round. Group 2 The winner of this group was decided a month ago - it was the Ukrainian national team. Meanwhile, the owner of the second place, which is contested by Turkey, Greece, and Denmark, will be determined only in the final round. The Greeks are currently in the best position, as their fate is in their own hands. In the decisive match this Saturday in Copenhagen, the Greek national team will play against Denmark. If the Greeks do not win, the Turks could take the second place, and they will play against Albania on Wednesday. The Danes, in a difficult position, may not have enough even with two wins - they still have to hope that Turkey will not beat the Albanians. In the final round, Greece will also meet Georgia, and Kazakhstan will play against Denmark. Group 3 A much simpler situation is in the third group. Portugal is leading by 5 points from the closest competitors, so at least a draw at home with Liechtenstein on Saturday would guarantee them the first place. Of course, the Portuguese are only thinking about victory and revenge - the first mutual matches of these teams ended in a sensational 2-2 draw. The destiny of second place will be decided on Wednesday in Bratislava between the Slovak and Russian national teams, which have the same number of points. The Russians will probably be satisfied only with a win unless the Slovaks fail to beat Estonia at home before that. Russia will play Luxembourg on Saturday. Group 4 An interesting situation in the fourth group. France could secure the first place on Saturday by beating Switzerland away. The Swiss themselves could also become group winners in the event of a victory, but they still have to hope that Ireland will not beat Cyprus. In this group on Saturday, Israel will also meet the Faroe Islands, and on Wednesday, there will be meetings between Ireland and Switzerland and France and Cyprus. Besides Ireland, Israel's footballers theoretically compete for the second place, as they need not only to beat the Faroe Islands themselves but also hope for a French victory against the Swiss and a draw between Ireland and Switzerland. Group 5 In the fifth group, Italy, with a 5-point advantage over the closest competitors, only needs not to lose at home to Slovenia in order to secure a ticket to the World Cup. Norway and Slovenia, with 12 points each, as well as Scotland, who are 2 points behind them, are contenders for second place. In order to overtake the Norwegians, Slovenia and Scotland need not only to win both remaining matches but also hope that the Scandinavians play at least a draw once. Norway will meet Moldova on Saturday, while the Scots will play against Belarus. In the final round, Italy will play against Moldova, Belarus will meet Norway, and Slovenia will play against Scotland. Group 6 In the sixth group, there are only two contenders left for the first place - Poland and England. On October 8, the English will play at home against Austria, and on October 12, against the Poles. Only two wins secured for England guarantee the first place, any other scenario is favorable to the Polish national team. Group 7 Either Serbia or Spain, who are 2 points behind, could win the seventh group tournament. The Spanish national team has two away matches ahead - against Belgium and San Marino. On Saturday, Serbia and Montenegro will meet with our national team in Vilnius, and on Wednesday, they will host Bosnia and Herzegovina at home. This match should be particularly intense - in the event of a victory, the Bosnians would take the second place. But before that, Bosnia still needs to beat San Marino. Belgium's national team also has the opportunity to take second place, but they need to defeat the Spaniards by at least a two-goal difference and then beat Lithuania in the last match. For Lithuania, the remaining matches will unfortunately be just a matter of prestige. Group 8 The leader of the eighth group, Sweden, is one point ahead of Croatia. These two teams will meet on Saturday in Zagreb. If the visitors do not win, the battle for the first place will move to the final round. Then the Swedes will play at home against Iceland, while the Croatians will play away against Hungary.
