The second slot of the October World Cup qualifying window brought clarity — and controversy.

England are the first European team to book their place, while in Africa nearly every ticket is now taken: Cape Verde, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and even a resurgent Nigeria reach the playoffs after a chaotic week. In Asia, favorites Saudi Arabia and Qatar clinch qualification, while the UAE and Iraq battle for survival.

In Europe, the picture sharpens: Germany recover, Switzerland hold firm, Denmark and Scotland lead, France stumble in Iceland, Spain and England stay perfect, Portugal and Italy still have work to do, and Austria taste their first defeat.

Along the way, I also observe that UEFA realized its qualifying format has lost excitement. Maybe the Nations League is the better path forward.

All that, plus CONCACAF surprises, the African playoff lineup, and a look ahead to the November window.Use this RSS Link to never miss an episode in your favorite podcast app: https://anchor.fm/s/f9d49078/podcast/rss You can also find me on YouTube: @MySoccerUniverseFootballTalk Also, check out my main Youtube channel @MySoccerUniverse If you want to hear my takes on the Austrian Bundesliga in general, and my team LASK in particular and understand German, you can subscribe to my other podcast, too: @MeinLASKUniversum or https://anchor.fm/s/107a5b448/podcast/rss #WorldCup2026 #FootballPodcast #WorldCupQualifiers #UEFAQualifying #AfricanFootball #AsianQualifiers #CONCACAF #England #Nigeria #CapeVerde #Austria #Italy #Portugal #FIFA #FootballAnalysis #worldcup2026

00:00 – Intro

2:38 – UEFA to change qualifying format?

7:46 – UEFA Qualifying Groups A-E

11:45 – UEFA Qualifying Groups F-G

15:20 – UEFA Qualifying Groups H-I

22:49 – UEFA Qualifying Groups J-K + Playoff picture

29:31 – CONCACAF Qualifying

31:32 – AFC (Asia) Qualifying

32:38 – CAF Qualifying Groups A-C

36:17 – CAF Qualifying Groups D-I + Playoff

39:57 – Final thoughts