Thursday's World Cup qualifier results and roundup: Denmark, Italy heartbreak as Bosnia, Czech Republic claim penalty triumphs

The final four places available to UEFA teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup were up for grabs on Tuesday night, as eight teams battled it out across four playoff finals for a spot in the prestigious competition.

Bosnia & Herzegovina hosted Italy, Czech Republic took on Denmark, Kosovo welcomed Turkey and Sweden faced Poland.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up the night's action.

Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-1 (4-1) Italy: Italy implode as World Cup woes continue

Italy's World Cup woes continued on Tuesday as Bosnia & Herzegovina booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 4-1 penalty triumph after a 1-1 draw.

The Italians were looking to end a 12-year hiatus from the World Cup stage coming into the game, having failed to qualify since 2014, but they will now have to wait until at least 2030.

Meanwhile, Bosnia & Herzegovina will appear at their first World Cup since 2014 and just the second time in their history.

Italy actually raced into an early lead as Moise Kean capitalised on a Bosnia mistake in the 15th minute, netting his sixth goal in six straight games for Italy - matching a national team record.

However, Italy's hopes were handed a major dent when Alessandro Bastoni received a straight red card in the 41st-minute, leaving the visitors needing to defend a narrow lead for the entire second half.

Italy managed to defend Bosnia's barrage until the 79th-minute, when Haris Tabakovic scored the equaliser, but neither side were able to find the winner as the game went into penalties.

Benjamin Tahirovic got Bosnia off to the perfect start with the first penalty kick, while Francesco Pio Esposito skied over the bar for Italy's first effort, and that set the tempo for the shootout.

Tabakovic and Kerim Alajbegovic subsequently scored for Bosnia, while Bryan Cristante's missed effort in Italy's third kick meant the hosts secured the win thanks to Esmir Bajraktevic goal in Bosnia's fourth strike.

The result means Italy are the highest ranked side in FIFA who will be absent from the World Cup, extending their disastrous streak of three straight absences from the competition.

Czech Republic 2-2 (3-1) Denmark: Penalties prove the difference as Czech Republic book World Cup place

Czech Republic booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dramatic 3-1 penalty victory over Denmark on Tuesday night.

The two teams played out a thrilling 2-2 draw after 120 minutes, with penalties required to separate the pair, and Czech Republic ultimately emerged victorious, with Michal Sadilek netting the winning spot kick.

As a result, Miroslav Koubek's side will end their 20-year wait to appear on the World Cup stage in the summer, having last appeared in the 2006 competition when they were eliminated from the group stage.

Meanwhile, Denmark will miss just their second World Cup since 1998, having appeared in every competition except from in 2006 and 2014.

In contrast to their semi-final tie against Republic of Ireland, Czech Republic raced into an early lead against Denmark, with Pavel Sulc firing a rocket into the top corner after just three minutes.

Denmark took complete control after the opener as they searched for the equaliser, and they eventually got back onto level terms in the 72nd minute thanks to Joachim Andersen's header.

The game proceeded to extra-time as neither could find a winner inside the 90 minutes, and Czech Republic once again drew first blood as captain Ladislav Krejci's effort was deflected into the back of the net in the 100th minute.

However, substitute Kasper Hogh made an immediate impact for Denmark, brilliantly heading into the right corner to equalise only six minutes after entering the play.

The match was then taken to penalties, where Denmark miserably missed three of their four penalties, while Czech Republic scored three of their four to ensure the victory.

Kosovo 0-1 Turkey: Turkey triumph to end World Cup absence

Kerem Akturkoglu became a Turkish hero on Tuesday, scoring the only goal of the game to give his country a 1-0 win against Kosovo and book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Vincenzo Montella's side will now join Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts USA in Group D of the summer tournament, which will mark their first appearance on the World Cup stage since a third-placed finish in the 2002 competition.

Akturkoglu's close-ranged finish in the 53rd-minute proved to be the decisive moment of the match, with Turkey going on to seal the 1-0 win in a commanding overall performance.

Turkey were largely dominant throughout the 90 minutes and were well worth their eventual victory, although Kosovo did miss a huge chance to take the lead in the first half.

Kosovo's chances were limited for the rest of the clash, with Turkey controlling possession and continuing to lay siege on Arijanet Muric's goal, eventually finding the breakthrough thanks to Akturkoglu's poachers finish.

Ultimately, Turkish celebrations are sure to carry on late into the night as they end their wait to play in the World Cup, while Kosovo are left still searching for their first qualification to the tournament.

Sweden 3-2 Poland: Gyokeres gives Sweden dramatic late win

Viktor Gyokeres's late strike secured Sweden's place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sealing a 3-2 triumph over Poland in the playoff final.

Despite a disastrous qualifying campaign, in which Sweden finished bottom of Group B with just two points from six games, they were given a lifeline thanks to their Nations League position.

As a result, Graham Potter's side were entered into the playoffs, and they have now fantastically booked their place at the summer's competition in the most dramatic fashion.

Sweden twice took the lead but were twice quickly pulled back onto level terms, only for Gyokeres' late 88th-minute goal to give his nation a thrilling win at the death.

Anthony Elanga had initially given the hosts the lead after just 20 minutes, but Poland were able to strike back just 13 minutes later thanks to Nicola Zalewski's effort.

The hosts managed to restore their lead just before the break, with Gustaf Lagerbielke heading home from close range on the stroke of half-time, but their lead did not last long as Karol Swiderski equalised only 10 minutes after the restart.

Poland looked the more likely to score the winner in the minutes that followed, but a goalmouth scramble in the visitors' area just minutes before the full-time whistle saw Gyokeres eventually hammer into the roof of the net.

As a result of the late win, Sweden will join Tunisia, Japan and the Netherlands in Group F of the 2026 World Cup, marking their first appearance since the 2018 edition.