Winner: Troy Parrott
After Robbie Keane, now comes Troy Parrott. The legendary Irish striker retired long ago, and the national team has been searching for someone to fill his shoes and lead them back to a World Cup finals - a feat they haven’t achieved since 2002.
When Parrott first emerged in Tottenham’s youth ranks - ironically, the same club where Robbie Keane made his mark - he looked destined to be that successor. But the path of his career, now at age 23, delayed a dream that is finally starting to look possible.
Interestingly, the AZ Alkmaar forward had been playing second fiddle to Evan Ferguson, but an injury ruled the Roma player out of the decisive matches and changed the course of Irish football history.
In a week he’ll never forget, Troy Parrott scored both goals in the historic 2-0 win over Portugal and left the pitch to a standing ovation. If anyone still doubted this Dublin-born striker, the match against Hungary changed everything.
A dramatic hat-trick in the epic 3-2 win over Hungary, deep into stoppage time, sparked celebrations across the country. Parrott now has 10 goals for Ireland - half of them scored in just the past few days.
Loser: Cristiano Ronaldo
While Parrott’s week will go down in history for all the right reasons, Cristiano Ronaldo’s was the complete opposite.
The Portugal captain is used to making headlines for his achievements, but he missed the final World Cup qualifier against Armenia after being sent off against the Republic of Ireland, with Portugal already trailing 2-0.
Despite the Portuguese manager’s explanations after the match and the appeal the FPF plans to make to FIFA, there’s little that can excuse Ronaldo, who will be 41 at the World Cup but had a moment reminiscent of his teenage years.
On the plus side, it was the first time he’s ever been sent off in 226 appearances for Portugal - and, after all, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Winners: Kosovo
Back to fairytales, and we have to mention Kosovo. Outside Europe, stories like Cape Verde or Curacao have made headlines for all the right reasons, but Kosovo’s national team refuses to give up on making history and remains in the hunt for a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
At the time of the draw, Kosovo was seen as the underdog in Group B, especially given the attacking power of teams like Slovenia (Sesko) and Sweden (Gyokeres and Isak). But this qualifying campaign has shown that European football still has its share of beautiful stories.
Despite being thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland in the opening round, Kosovo - still not recognised by countries like Serbia, Russia, China, and Brazil - took advantage of the lack of quality among their rivals. With five goals scored and 10 points from five matches, they secured a playoff spot with a game to spare after beating Slovenia 2-0.
Mathematically, finishing first is still possible, but it would require beating Switzerland by six goals. Dreaming is free, but maybe it’s time to focus on the playoff. Either way, what they’ve achieved is already remarkable.
Losers: Sweden
In this tale of heroes and villains, Sweden was always going to feature. Graham Potter was brought in to replace Jon Dahl Tomasson with the playoff in mind for the 2026 World Cup - a spot the Swedes only secured thanks to... Jon Dahl Tomasson.
The Nordic side came off a promising Nations League campaign, but qualifying has been a nightmare, and only a win in the final round can prevent them from finishing without a single victory.
Gyokeres and Isak’s pre-season disputes at their clubs had a negative impact on the team, and the poor form of both strikers was felt collectively - just three goals in five qualifying matches.
Reaching the 2026 World Cup is still possible, but if they play like they did in the 4-1 defeat to Switzerland, it’s time to seriously consider what this Swedish team can achieve in the USA...
Winner: Erling Haaland
After a season below expectations with Manchester City - where he scored just 22 goals in the Premier League - Erling Haaland has enjoyed a remarkable start to the new season with club and country.
In a theoretically easier group, he made the most of the first two rounds back in March, scoring against Moldova and Italy. He added two more in June against the Italians and another against Estonia, putting Norway on track for their first finals appearance since 1998.
With his batteries recharged for the new season, he scored five goals and provided two assists in the 11-1 win over Moldova in September, and hit a hat-trick against Israel in October. In this decisive run-in, Haaland taught Norway to forget about the calculator, scoring twice against Estonia before netting two goals in two minutes to turn the game around in Italy and seal a 4-1 win that stunned Milan.
With 16 goals in just eight qualifying matches, Haaland looks set to be the unstoppable machine that will shake the world stage in July 2026, after 55 goals in 48 international appearances. A goal machine at just 25 years old.
Losers: Hungary
Hungary were another team that disappointed in this qualifying campaign, letting go of a goal that at one point seemed within reach.
They won’t be at the 2026 World Cup, despite entering the final round with a mathematical chance of qualifying directly for the finals.
Of course, Ireland’s win over Portugal wasn’t part of Szoboszlai and company’s plans, but a home defeat to the Irish side ended their playoff hopes. The 90+5’ scoreline was enough for them to qualify via the alternative route, but a lapse in concentration proved fatal.
Hungary will have to watch the World Cup on TV once again - a familiar story for them. The Magyars haven’t reached the World Cup finals since 1986.
Winner: Aurelien Deniel
We couldn’t finish without a special mention for Aurelien Deniel, the AG Plouvorn goalkeeper from France’s Regional 1 (sixth division), who became a hero in the French Cup in a way rarely seen for someone in his position.
With his team trailing, Aurelien was allowed to join his teammates in the opposition box, and with a bicycle kick, equalised the tie in the 90+3rd minute, sending the match to penalties. There, Plouvorn knocked out Vitre, a team from a higher division, winning 4-3 thanks to the heroic (and acrobatic) exploits of their goalkeeper.
Losers: Italy
Italian success in this international window was always going to be a tall order. The hard-fought win in Moldova (2-0) kept Gattuso’s side’s hopes alive, but to qualify directly they needed to beat the still-unbeaten Norway by nine goals.
Mathematically possible, but in reality... not even in their wildest dreams. They’d have needed to score every 10 minutes, and the match actually started at that pace: Francesco Esposito opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but the momentum faded and Norway equalised in the 63rd.
Haaland’s quick-fire double crushed Italian spirits, and Jorgen Strand Larsen’s injury-time goal sealed a humiliating 4-1 defeat - their worst home loss in 40 years.
Italy need to show something different in the playoffs to avoid missing the World Cup finals for a third straight time. In the last two editions, they were knocked out in the playoffs by Sweden (2018) and North Macedonia (2022).