qualifiers

Saudi Arabia beat Indonesia 3-2 while Qatar and Oman end goalless as fourth round of qualifiers begin.

Saudi Arabia have fought back to earn a 3-2 win over Indonesia in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers as Feras Al-Brikan’s double boosted their hopes of securing a place at next year’s finals in North America.

Kevin Diks put Indonesia ahead from the spot in the 11th minute on Wednesday, but Saleh Abu Al-Shamat levelled six minutes later before Al-Brikan scored either side of half-time to secure the points despite a second Diks penalty two minutes from time.

Saudi Arabia next face Iraq in Jeddah on Tuesday and know that a win over Graham Arnold’s side will guarantee their place in December’s draw for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Indonesia and Iraq will face one another on Saturday.

The Indonesians went in front when Hassan Al-Tambakhti stuck out an arm as Dean James swung in his free kick from the right and Diks stepped up to clinically place his spot kick beyond Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

The lead was short-lived as Al-Shamat steered his right-footed strike from the edge of the area beyond Maarten Paes’s dive to his left.

With nine minutes left in the half, the home side went in front. Yakob Sayuri’s needless pull on Al-Brikan’s shirt saw referee Ahmad Al-Ali called to the pitch-side monitor, and the Kuwaiti awarded a penalty that Al-Brikan slammed home.

Al-Brikan put the result beyond doubt in the 62nd minute with a clinical close-range finish.

Paes threw himself to his right to keep out Musab Al-Juwayr’s low drive only for Al-Brikan to pounce on the rebound and send the ball back under the body of the Indonesia goalkeeper.

Diks struck again from the penalty spot after Nawaf Bu Washl hit the ball with his arm as he went down in his own area in a tussle with Ole Romeny while Mohammed Kanno’s injury-time red card made for a nervous finish for Herve Renard’s side.

Qatar’s World Cup hopes hit by plucky Oman

Oman kept hosts Qatar at bay to earn a 0-0 draw in the countries’ opening clash in Group A of the fourth round of Asia’s World Cup preliminaries earlier on Wednesday, denting both nations’ hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 finals.

Qatar captain Akram Afif went closest to claiming the points for Julen Lopetegui’s side at Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium when he wastefully steered his shot wide 49 minutes into a tense game of few chances.

The Carlos Queiroz-coached Omanis, who are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, will face the United Arab Emirates on Saturday in the next game in the three-team group. Qatar will take on the Emiratis on Tuesday.

The winners of the group will qualify directly for the finals while the team finishing second advances to a playoff with the runner-up from Group B, which is being played in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar dominated the opening exchanges but struggled to turn that superiority into opportunities. Only midfielder Boualem Khoukhi threatened the Oman goal with a strike from distance in the 13th minute that flew wide of the target.

The Omanis were largely kept on the back foot although Issam Al-Sabhi did fashion an opening in the 27th minute that goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada gathered, and Amjad Al-Harthi steered a header over the bar late in the half.

Afif should have put the hosts ahead soon after the interval when the Omanis gifted him possession in their own half, but the Asian Player of the Year uncharacteristically side-footed his shot the wrong side of the post.

Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Jordan and Uzbekistan have already claimed six of Asia’s eight guaranteed berths at the expanded 48-team finals. A possible ninth spot is available via an intercontinental playoff in March.

Price felt he “didn’t play well” in the 3-1 win away to Luxembourg when his early penalty was saved despite Jamie Reid tucking away the rebound.

However, he responded with a goal against Germany to bring his international tally to 10 and credits manager Michael O’Neill for giving him the confidence to bounce back against the four-time world champions.

“It’s about not getting too high when things are going well or getting too low when they aren’t,” he said.

“The Luxembourg game I missed a penalty, didn’t play well and was coming off a low point but then you play against Germany.

“The night before, Michael came over and said ‘forget about what happened the other night, you’ll go and do something tomorrow’ and it happened. Michael has been around so long he’ll have seen it with other players, so it was a great feeling to get one against Germany.”

The 22-year-old is part of the new crop of Northern Ireland players bidding to reach a major finals for the first time since Euro 2016 when O’Neill was in his first stint as manager.

However, he believes the “maturity” in the camp can help them through the upcoming games.

“The ground and the fans will be electric, but it’s about staying calm and composed because if you let the occasion get to you, it’s never the best thing.

“We’ve the right level of maturity in the group and players who have been there before, so they can help us.

“I hope they (opposition) realise we have a good young side and every team comes here fears it as they should do.”

Craig Gordon has returned to the Scotland squad for the home World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Belarus.

The 42-year-old goalkeeper has not played since early May and is yet to feature in a Hearts squad this season as he returns to full fitness after a neck injury.

Capped 81 times, Gordon replaces club-mate Zander Clark, with Derby County full-back Max Johnston and Blackburn Rovers central defender Dominic Hyam also dropping out.

Scotland have four points after opening with a 0-0 draw in Denmark and a 2-0 victory against Belarus in Hungary.

The Greeks visit Hampden Park on 9 October and Belarus are in Glasgow three days later, with both matches live on the BBC.

Greece, who beat Belarus then lost to Denmark in Athens, have good memories of their last trip to Hampden.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg of a Nations League play-off in March, the visitors ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in what was Gordon’s most recent international appearance.

With head coach Steve Clarke opting for a smaller squad, there is no room for Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland, who has hit seven goals so far this season, or Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway.

Anthony Ralston, who withdrew from the previous squad along with fellow Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney, made his club return at the weekend after a month out.

Angus Gunn kept two Scotland clean sheets earlier this month but has not featured for Nottingham Forest since signing in the summer, while Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly has only played against Alloa Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup during this campaign.

Spain cruise to 3-0 win in Bulgaria while Turkiye hold off Georgia fightback as Group E of World Cup qualifiers begins.

Spain kicked off their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win in Bulgaria.

The Euro 2024 champions eased to a comfortable victory on Thursday at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia with first-half goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was able to bring on Rodri Hernandez and Dani Carvajal for their first international appearances in several months after both recovered from severe knee injuries.

Spain, who won the World Cup for the first and only time in 2010, are expected to top Group E, which also contains Turkiye and Georgia, to reach the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico directly.

This was the first time Spain have faced Bulgaria in more than 20 years, with the last competitive meeting at the 1998 World Cup.

Oyarzabal leads the line again for Spain

Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi set up his former Real Sociedad teammate Oyarzabal for the opener with a fine pass as Spain took the lead after five minutes.

Radoslav Kirilov hit the post for the hosts before Chelsea defender Cucurella thumped in to double Spain’s lead after the ball dropped into his path.

The game was effectively over before the break when Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal whipped in a corner, which Merino nodded home, reflecting Spain’s domination.

Arsenal midfielder Merino hit the crossbar in the second half as Spain continued to dominate. Teenager Yamal was bright and dangerous without scoring.

Man City midfielder Rodri and Real Madrid’s Carvajal made their long-awaited returns off the bench as De la Fuente shuffled his pack. They had missed seven and nine months each, respectively.

The coach also handed Jesus Rodriguez his international debut in the final stages, with the Como winger replacing Yamal to round off a fine evening for La Roja.

“We are incredibly demanding, [the players] most of all – they were disappointed with the second half,” said de la Fuente.

“We’re happy, but we have to keep taking steps forward.

Up next for Spain is another away game, a trip to Turkiye on Sunday, while Bulgaria travel to face Georgia the same day.

“[Turkiye] will be a higher-level game and more demanding,” the Spanish coach added. “We have to look to be better every day.”

Turkiye given last scare by Georgia

Turkiye won 3-2 away to Georgia earlier on Thursday in the other Group E match, but only after surviving a late scare.

The away side had been reduced to 10 men when Baris Alper Yilmaz was shown a straight red card in the 71st minute.

By that point, they already led through Kerem Akturkoglu’s strikes either side of the interval and a third-minute header from Mert Muldur.

Zuriko Davitashvili had pulled one back for the home side in the 63rd minute, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s effort eight minutes into injury time meant a more nervous finish than Turkiye had anticipated.

Who: Ukraine vs France
What: UEFA qualifiers for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Where: Tarczynski Arena Wroclaw in Wroclaw, Poland
When: Friday, September 5, at 8:45pm (19:45 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 5:45pm (16:45 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

European football’s focus switches to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup for the next two weeks, but that is only the beginning of an 11-week period in which six games each will be played to help decide who advances to the tournament.

The European qualifying programme involves 54 teams but 24 of them are only kicking a ball for the first time on their intended road to play on football’s biggest stage in the United States, Canada and Mexico starting next year on June 11.

France, the 2018 World Cup winner, starts its qualifying campaign for the 2026 edition away against Ukraine in Les Bleus’ first game in the competition since losing an epic final against Argentina in December 2022 at the Qatar World Cup.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at Ukraine’s game against France and explains why so many of the teams are only joining qualifying now.

Why is Ukraine vs France being played in Poland?

Ukraine will host that game in Wroclaw in neutral Poland because of security concerns at home during the Russian military invasion.

Russia’s teams were banned by UEFA and FIFA from all international competitions in February 2022 when the war began.

Why have France not played any World Cup qualifiers yet?

France, along with 23 other teams, are only joining the qualifying programme for the World Cup now due to the progress of some of the top seeds in the 2025 Nations League, which culminated in June.

Portugal were crowned champions as they beat Spain 5-3 on penalties in the 2025 final in this year’s final.

Spain overcame France in the semifinal, while Portugal beat Germany. The rest of the qualifiers for the latter stages of that tournament are also only entering the World Cup qualifiers now.

Who else is in Ukraine and France’s group?

Iceland and Azerbaijan complete Group D of the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers.

How do the qualifiers work for France, Portugal and the other teams joining the qualifiers now?

There are already six groups under way in the European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, comprising five teams each. Four rounds of games have already been played.

The further six groups entering qualifying now are made up of four teams each.

The top teams from the 12 groups advance directly to next summer’s finals, while the 12 runners-up go into playoffs where they will be joined by the four best-placed Nations League sides that don’t qualify at this stage.

For more on the format of the playoffs, click here to read our full breakdown in our preview of Wednesday’s first set of qualifiers at this stage.

What are France’s thoughts on joining the qualification now?

France defender Jules Kounde has called for a reassessment of football’s increasingly congested calendar, warning that the sport’s excessive schedule is affecting not only players but the broader ecosystem around the game.

Speaking ahead of France’s games against Ukraine and Iceland, who the French host in Paris on Wednesday, Kounde said the relentless pace of fixtures was taking a toll.

“It’s not just about the players,” he said. “There are families. I also think about all the people who work around football and who are sometimes victims of this relentless pace.”

Kounde, who plays for Barcelona, did not feature in this year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which ran from June 14 to July 13 in United States, but the 26-year-old still hinted at the tournament’s impact on the already packed season.

Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki and Arsenal’s William Saliba have pulled out of the double header with injury while Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele missed training on Tuesday because of a thigh injury.

PSG, who reached the Club World Cup final, played 65 matches in the 2024-25 season.

“It’s a whole ecosystem,” he said.

“Sometimes in life, when we overdo things, we stop appreciating them. When we see too much, we no longer give it the same importance. That’s what’s happening with football – it’s overconsumption.”

The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup added 63 matches to the summer schedule, prompting criticism from players and clubs over fatigue and injury risks.

Kounde urged football’s governing bodies to reflect on the long-term sustainability of the current model.

“These are things we need to put into perspective,” he said. “And I think they need to change.”

Head-to-head

This is the 13th meeting between the countries with France winning on six occasions while Ukraine have won only once.

What happened in the last Ukraine-France match?

The sides last met in a World Cup qualifier in September 2021 in Kyiv with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Mykola Shaparenko gave the home side the lead but Anthony Martial levelled for the French.

The reverse fixture in the group also ended in a 1-1 draw in Paris.

Ukraine team news

Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin misses out due to injury so Anatoliy Trubin starts in goal.

Defender Oleksandr Tymchyk is a late withdrawal from the squad due to a knock.

France team news

Defender Saliba sustained a muscle injury in Arsenal’s defeat at Liverpool on Sunday.

Manchester City’s Cherki has also been forced to withdraw due to a knock with Eintract Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike taking his place.

Dembele is expected to shake off his thigh problem.

Ukraine possible starting lineup

Trubin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviienko, Mykolenko; Kaliuzhny, Zinchenko; Tsygankov, Shaparenko, Sudakov; Dovbyk

France possible starting lineup

Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, T Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Thuram; Mbappe

Alexander Isak has been named in the Sweden squad despite not playing any football this season as he pushes to leave Newcastle.

Isak is among the 24 players named by Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson for World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo next month.

The 25-year-old is training away from his Newcastle team-mates after making clear he wants to join Liverpool despite having three years left on his contract.

Fellow striker Viktor Gyokeres, who scored his first two goals for Arsenal at the weekend, is also included in Tomasson’s squad.

The Sweden coach said: “I am very happy that Alexander Isak wants to be in the squad, he is a huge player.

“The situation he is in is not perfect and he has not trained with the team. But he is a player who can decide matches and he wants to be part of our squad. The World Cup is important for Alexander Isak.”

Liverpool have yet to make a fresh bid for Isak since an offer of £110m was rejected at the start of this month.

Isak has since released a statement on social media accusing Newcastle of breaking a promise to allow him to leave this summer.

The Magpies have denied making such a commitment and continue to insist Isak is not for sale.

Goalkeepers: Clark (Heart of Midlothian), Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Kelly (Rangers)

Defenders: Hanley (Hibernian), Hendry (Al-Etiffaq), Hickey (Brentford), Hyam (Blackburn Rovers), Johnston (Sturm Graz), McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Ralston (Celtic), Robertson (Liverpool), Souttar (Rangers), Tierney (Celtic)

Midfielders: Christie (Bournemouth), Ferguson (Bologna), Gannon Doak (Bournemouth), Gilmour (Napoli), McGinn (Aston Villa), McLean (Norwich City), McTominay (Napoli), Miller (Udinese)

Forwards: Adams (Torino), Bowie (Hibernian), Dykes (Birmingham City), Hirst (Ipswich Town)

Top seed Francesca Jones took the first step to reaching the US Open main draw by winning her opening qualifier, but Heather Watson was among four Britons to lose on Tuesday.

British number four Jones beat Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova 6-3 6-4. She will face Ekaterine Gorgodze of Georgia on Wednesday as she looks to reach the US Open main draw for the first time in her career.

Jones has never received direct entry to a Grand Slam through her ranking and narrowly missed out this time, despite having climbed to a career-high 86th in the world since the US Open cut-off point.

The 24-year-old served six aces in a match lasted one hour 22 minutes and notched an 87% win rate on her first serves.

Meanwhile, former British number one Watson was defeated 6-3 3-6 4-6 by Gorgodze as she failed to reach the main draw for a fourth successive year.

British women’s number seven Harriet Dart edged out Romanian Anca Todoni – who sits 112 places above her in the rankings – 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (10-6).

British men’s number five Jan Choinski lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to Argentina’s Andrea Collarini, but Oliver Crawford beat Alex Bolt of Australia 5-7 6-4 6-4.

George Loffhagen was beaten 4-6 5-7 by Jason Kubler, while 22-year-old Jack Pinnington Jones lost 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (14-12).

Jodie Burrage began her qualifying campaign with a win on Monday, but British number five Dan Evans was eliminated and will miss out on the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2018.

There are six Brits in action on Wednesday in the second round of qualifying:

Players must win three matches in qualifying to advance to the main singles draws for the tournament, which begins on Sunday.

Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley have direct entry into the men’s singles, with Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal in the women’s.

On his first Scotland start, I think Miller has done himself absolutely millions of favours with his performance.

He is very, very calm – quite chilled actually. That’s due to his family, his dad [former Scotland striker Lee] keeping him grounded!

His composure and quality is top notch and he expresses himself in the game.

It is like he is not bothered by being on the big stage. His attitude is, ‘I’m playing with my mates here’. That’s top mentality.

Do I think he will start in Denmark? I don’t. But will he be one of the ones that’s in Clarke’s mind to automatically come on if you’re looking for a goal or a forward pass? I’d say so.

There are so many possibilities, though.

The pairing of Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay is one that’s got to flourish. You know what you’re getting with John McGinn. Clarke likes Kenny McLean because of his experience. Ryan Christie is favoured as a 10, too, so there are plenty of legs in there.

But the perfect scenario is to get Callum McGregor back.

He is the one that ticks all the boxes. He can sit, he can go forward. I know he is retired but that is what Scotland are looking for.

Goalkeepers: Karl Darlow, Danny Ward, Adam Davies

Defenders: Neco Williams, Jay Dasilva, Connor Roberts, Ronan Kpakio, Ben Davies, Chris Mepham, Ben Cabango, Joe Rodon

Midfielders: Josh Sheehan, Charlie Crew, Ethan Ampadu, Jordan James, Ollie Cooper, Harry Wilson, David Brooks, Sorba Thomas

Forwards: Liam Cullen, Nathan Broadhead, Lewis Koumas, Rabbi Matondo, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Brennan Johnson, Daniel James