Overview
- Germany routed Slovakia 6-0 and the Netherlands defeated Lithuania 4-0 to secure direct UEFA qualification.
- The confirmed field stands at 39 teams, with recent European qualifiers also including Spain, Scotland, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria.
- DR Congo won Africa’s playoff over Nigeria on penalties to reach the intercontinental repechage, where Bolivia and New Caledonia await and Iraq has claimed Asia’s slot.
- CONCACAF’s final-round matches tonight will settle three direct qualifiers and the two regional teams advancing to the intercontinental playoff.
- Peru ended its year with a 2-1 friendly defeat to Chile in Sochi, after which its federation said, “The work continues. We keep building, looking ahead.”