The Best UEFA World Cup Playoffs in history

 

Several World Cup playoffs in Europe can be considered the best and most entertaining ones in history.

The UEFA 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs have always been the most anticipated one in every World Cup edition. In the current one, the playoffs are set to be staged on March 26 to 31 for the remaining four regional berths.

16 teams will be fighting for those spots, 10 of which are from Eastern Europe. Unsurprisingly, the four-time World Cup winner, Italy, once again has to go through this stage following their dismal results in the qualifiers. The other two sides are the dark horses, Denmark and Turkey.

All those 16 teams are divided into four paths, with each leading to one ticket to North America. Each team will be playing in the best four format with the final at the end of each path. They are determined through draws and their positions in the qualifiers and the last editions of the UEFA Nations League.

Such a system was only introduced in the early 2020s, with Qatar 2022 as the first edition for UEFA utilising that format. Previously, the playoff contestants were the best runners-up with two-legged matches for each pair of teams.

Throughout history, a number of UEFA playoff games were quite memorable, delivering unexpected results and even controversial ones too. Here are the best World Cup playoffs in Europe.
Sweden vs Italy (2018 FIFA World Cup playoff)

Gli Azzurri had to go down to the playoff stage to secure one berth in Russia 2018 following their dismal form in the qualifying round by finishing second behind Spain. Giampero Ventura’s men were seeded to face off against Sweden in the two-legged playoff.

In the first leg on the road, Gianluigi Buffon and Co failed to put on a positive display in Solna. They were unable to break the deadlock and even conceded through Jakob Johannsson’s goal as his strike was deflected by Italian defenders but went to the back of the net instead.

In the reverse fixture in Milan, Ciro Immobile and Co remained toothless despite taking charge of the game. Blagut’s goalie, Robin Olsen, made several crucial saves which denied a number of chances from Immobile, Alessandro Florenzi, Matteo Gabbiadini, etc. The final score stayed goalless and eventually blocked the four-time champions from playing in the World Cup final round. It was their first ever miss in 60 years. Sweden was shockingly also the bad omen in Italian football history, as Gli Azzurri’s last failure to qualify was in Sweden in 1958.

France vs Ireland (2010 FIFA World Cup playoff)

France went to secure a berth in South Africa 2010 with much controversy. It was infamous for Thierry Henry's handball before his assist to William Gallas in the second leg of the playoff versus Ireland in Saint Denis during the extra time. They first conceded through Robbie Keane.

Giovanni Trappatoni’s men took the lead to put them on level terms, which pushed the game to 120 minutes following their 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Dublin. At that time, Nicolas Anelka’s only goal made the difference in their clash.

Ireland were already confident when they opened the scoring in the first half in Stade de France. Yet, they became the victim of Henry's trick. Les Blues qualified but had their worst campaign in World Cup history, as the team was in turmoil following the internal conflict during the tournament.

France vs Ukraine (2014 FIFA World Cup playoff)

After a disastrous campaign in South Africa, Les Bleus had to go through another playoff to seal one spot in Brazil 2014. However, this time, they did it in a dramatic yet stunning fashion.
In the first leg, they were already beaten 2-0 in Kiev as Roman Zozulya and Andrey Yarmolenko bagged the winning goal to give the Eastern European side an advantage. Unfortunately, they failed to maintain their positive form.

In the reverse fixture, France were more dominant as expected and bounced back with a 3-0 win without any more controversy. They already could break the deadlock through Mamadou Sakho’s opener and Karim Benzema’s strike in the six-yard box before the interval. The Reds' centre-back Sakho netted his brace in the 72nd minute to end Ukraine’s dream to fly to Brazil.

Slovenia vs Russia (2010 FIFA World Cup Playoff)

Slovenia made a stunning comeback in the 2010 FIFA World Cup playoff after thumping the favourite, Russia. Guus Hiddink’s men were EURO 2008 semi-finalists and had already snatched a 2-1 win in the first leg in Moscow. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov bagged a brace, but sadly they conceded in the 87th minute through Necj Pechnik’s header in the goalmouth as Igor Akinfeev’s save was still too far to be cleared out and eventually landed within Pechnik’s reach to score an away goal.

That goal seemed to be crucial in the reverse fixture. Andrei Arshavin and Co failed to add their tally to give more advantage to Sbornaya. On the contrary, they were beaten by a single goal from Zlatko Dedic. It was enough to send Russia home and fly Slovenia to South Africa instead.

Switzerland vs Turkey (2006 FIFA World Cup playoff)

One of the most thrilling encounters in the UEFA World Cup playoff was Switzerland vs Turkey in late 2005. La Nati was already in the lead with a two-goal advantage from the 2-0 win in the first leg, but Turkey really gave them a hard time in the reverse fixture.

Fatih Terim’s men attempted to bounce back, and they did. They managed to crush them 4-2 with Tuncay Sanli's hat trick plus Atis Necati’s penalty while Kobi Kuhn’s side replied from their dynamic duo upfront, Alexander Frei and Marco Steller. It was enough for them to qualify, as they won by away goals. The rule which was already abolished today.

Switzerland did manage to continue their positive form in Germany 2006, as they were unbeaten in the competition despite failing to go through to the quarter-final. Unfortunately, they were eliminated by Andry Shevchenko’s Ukraine on penalties.

Belgium vs Netherlands (1986 FIFA World Cup playoff)

This was one of the best UEFA World Cup playoffs in history. Belgium had to face off against their fiercest rival and neighbour, the Netherlands. De Rode Duivels already had a 1-0 advantage in the first leg before going to Rotterdam.

In the reverse fixture, De Oranje, as expected, was the dominant side and finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute from Peter Houtman’s header. They even doubled their lead through Rob De Wit’s strike. As the game went to the final ten minutes, Belgium eventually found their long-awaited goal as George Grun found the back of the net.

They secured one last spot for the UEFA Champions League and had one of their best World Cup campaigns in history. Jan Cuelemans and Co. managed to advance to the final four and became the semifinalist after losing 4-2 to France in the thrilling third-place playoff.