While the professional leagues were off for the international break, we didn’t take time off because there were Nations League matches and World Cup qualifiers being played. With a whopping 48 countries making it in, we examine who improved their chances and who just embarrassed themselves. (Hint: It’s us.)
Nation's League winners
Argentina
The defending champions stomp all over their archrivals Brazil, and qualify for the World Cup in the same stroke? They’ll be celebrating from the Altiplano to Tierra del Fuego (though not too much, since World Cup qualification is considered a bare minimum by their supporters), and Lionel Messi may get to play a World Cup match just 25 minutes from his home stadium in Miami.
Iran and Japan
These Asian countries are assured of going to the World Cup with more than a year to spare. Iran’s 2-2 home result against Uzbekistan sealed their qualification, while the Blue Samurai beat Bahrain 2-0 to lock up their place. On the point of joining them are South Korea (which is leading a soft group), Australia, and surprise package Uzbekistan. All the Uzbeks have to do is beat the United Arab Emirates on the road in June to get into their very first World Cup.
Mexico
They didn’t beat their hated rivals USA, directly, but they beat the two countries that beat USA and won CONCACAF’s Nations League, marking the first time that a country other than USA has won the competition. Feel good for Raúl Jiménez, who fractured his skull while playing for Wolves four years ago and faced a possible end to his playing career. He scored both goals (including a stoppage-time penalty) to win the final against Panama, and it clearly meant a great deal to him.
Ghana
Their easy victory at Madagascar left the Black Stars three points clear of their nearest rivals in Group I (that’s Comoros, if you’re wondering), and they will have to slack off mightily to slip out of the top spot and the automatic World Cup slot that comes with it.
Georgia
The country’s best athletes have been wrestlers, weightlifters, and rugby players, but the Crusaders are showing that Georgians can play the beautiful game, too. Their emphatic win over neighboring Armenia keeps them at level B of Europe.
Kosovo
Who’d have thought it? The tiny Balkan country (sometimes known as “Albania B” because it has so many Albanian speakers) decisively upset Iceland in their Nations League playoff, with Vedat Muriqi bagging a hat trick on the road in Reykjavik. The Dardanians will now be promoted to level B of Europe.
New Caledonia
The New Zealanders crushed them and grabbed Oceania’s automatic qualifying spot, but the French Polynesian islands located between New Zealand and Australia still have a shot to get into the big dance if they can survive the inter-confederation tournament to be played in 12 months with strivers from North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. We wish the Kagus good luck, because they’ll likely need it.
Nations League losers
USA
Losing to Canada in hockey is one thing, but in men’s soccer, it’s quite another. As other writers on this site have pointed out, it’s the manner of their defeats as well, as the USA failed to mount much of any offensive threat against two quite different defenses. Coach Mauricio Pochettino has said that there is time to fix the team’s issues, and he is smarter at soccer tactics than I am, but we’d all better hope he’s right.
Italy
Losing to Germany is no disgrace, but the azzurri surrendered the most embarrassing goal when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a tremendous save off Tim Kleindienst’s header and went out to upbraid his defenders for allowing the shot. He didn’t realize that referee Szymon Marciniak had already restarted play, so Joshua Kimmich took the corner quickly and Jamal Musiala tapped into an empty net. The goal helped oust Italy from the Nations League, gave Germany leeway in World Cup qualifying, and had the press interviewing the 15-year-old ball boy who gave Kimmich the ball fast enough to allow it.
Chile
How the mighty have fallen. It wasn’t that long ago that Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez were leading their country to Copa América titles and scintillating wins over their fierce South American rivals. Now, after a loss to Paraguay and a draw to Ecuador without scoring any goals in either, they’re at the foot of the South America table. They still technically have a chance to stay alive with four matches to play, but those include home to Argentina, at Brazil, and home to Uruguay. That is grim.
Peru
Their loss in Venezuela was a mighty blow. A win would have taken los Incas above the Venezuelans and into the playoff place, but instead José Salomon Rondón’s penalty consigned them to defeat and tied with the Chileans in last place. Their easy games are all gone, too. They’ll need a string of unexpected results to make it to North America.
Nigeria
A team this talented really should not be struggling this much. The Super Eagles are positively dripping with top-level offensive creators and finishers (Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Umar Sadiq, Victor Boniface), yet they’re scrapping for their lives in fourth place behind South Africa, Rwanda, and Benin. I mean, they couldn’t even beat Lesotho. After their latest draw (this one at home against Zimbabwe), they still have enough games left to pull themselves back into the automatic qualifying spot, but this is ugly.
China
Their recent losses to Saudi Arabia and Australia aren’t unexpected, but they do leave the Chinese out of the running for the automatic qualifying spots in Group C in Asia. Team Dragon could still get to the World Cup by beating Indonesia and Bahrain in their remaining matches and then winning that inter-confederation playoff. Nevertheless, it looks like scribes like me will have another opportunity to write about why such a large country with such a powerful sports apparatus consistently underachieves at the beautiful game.