France is officially heading to the 2026 World Cup, and the journey there was powered by none other than Kylian Mbappé. But while the French celebrated, Portugal was left stunned as Cristiano Ronaldo received the first red card of his entire international career—turning what should have been a routine qualifier into a night of unexpected drama.
France dominated Ukraine with a commanding 4-0 victory in Paris, where Mbappé delivered two crucial goals and once again proved why he is the heartbeat of the French national team. Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitiké added to the tally, sealing France’s place in next year’s global showpiece.
Mbappé opened the scoring with a calm penalty straight down the middle in the 55th minute, then came close to a hat trick moments later. His second goal, a close-range finish after a scramble inside the box, pushed him to 55 international goals—just two shy of Olivier Giroud’s national record.
Coach Didier Deschamps praised his captain’s leadership and impact, noting that “the French national team will always be better with him in it.” With France now topping Group D with 13 points, the path to the World Cup is clear.
On the other hand, Portugal’s evening took a disastrous turn in Dublin. Despite dominating possession, the night unraveled when Ronaldo was sent off after a VAR review judged his elbow on Dara O’Shea to be serious enough for a red card. It was a shocking moment, considering Ronaldo had gone 226 international matches without a single sending off.
This means Portugal must wait until Sunday to secure qualification, though Ronaldo will miss at least one game—and potentially more if FIFA rules the foul as serious play.
Ireland took full advantage, with Troy Parrott scoring twice to secure a 2-0 upset victory. Portugal still leads Group F with 10 points, but Hungary is close behind with 8.
In other matches, Erling Haaland continued his unstoppable scoring spree, netting a brace as Norway moved closer to its first World Cup appearance since 1998. Italy grabbed a late 2-0 win over Moldova but still faces a tough road, likely heading to the playoffs once again.
Already-qualified England kept its perfect streak alive with a 2-0 home victory over Serbia, maintaining its clean-sheet record in Group K. Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze delivered the winning goals, while Albania secured second place with a narrow 1-0 victory over Andorra.
