World Cup qualifiers: what's at stake for the UEFA nations?

There are plenty of Ligue 1 McDonald's players in action during the international break, as European teams look to book their place in next summer's World Cup - we take a look at what is on the line.

France on the brink

France stand on the brink of qualification for the World Cup and will book their spot should they beat Ukraine at the Parc des Princes on Thursday night. There are plenty of Ligue 1 McDonald's players at Didier Deschamps' disposal, including Lucas Chevalier, Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery, Bradley Barcola, and Maghnes Akliouche. Zaire-Emery, notably, has earned a recall for Les Bleus following an uptick in form for PSG and a strong showing for Les Éspoirs during the last international break.

Ukraine, however, still have designs of their own for reaching the World Cup and PSG centre-back Ilia Zabarnyi will be doing his utmost to cause an upset at the place he now calls home. Iceland, who can count Lille's Hakon Arnar Haraldsson in their ranks, still have an outside shot of qualification.

Elsewhere, Switzerland are in a prime position to confirm their World Cup place during this international break. Rennes centre-forward Breel Embolo is the only Ligue 1 McDonald's player selected this time around, with Monaco captain Denis Zakaria only just returning from injury. They need to beat Sébastien Nanasi's Sweden to get the job done.

Emegha is Oranje. That’s it. 🟠 pic.twitter.com/cXVcwzDrIa
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 11, 2025

Another Scandinavian side, Denmark, are vying for a place, but their battle against Scotland, who they face on 18th November, looks set to go down to the wire. Both are currently tied on 10 points. Marseille duo Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt O'Riley, as well as Strasbourg's Lucas Hogsberg, will look to make the difference in that eagerly-awaited encounter.

Spain will also confirm their place in the World Cup if they beat Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's Georgia side. Fabián Ruiz will look to be influential for La Roja, as he so often is. Elsewhere on the Iberian Peninsula, PSG's Portuguese contingent (Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes) almost booked their place during the last international but were denied by a last-gasp Hungary goal. A win over the Republic of Ireland will secure top place.

Debuts for Emegha and Ngoy?

If The Netherlands beat Poland this week, they will reach the World Cup, too. That game could also mark a debut for Strasbourg captain Emanuel Emegha, who has been called up for the first time, following his brace against Lille.

And it is a Lille defender who could make his debut for Belgium. Nathan Ngoy has been called up alongside RCSA's Diego Moreira and Nice's Charles Vanhouute as they look to clinch their spot during a visit to Kazakhstan. Lyon's Malick Fofana will miss out on that game through injury.

However, two other OL forwards, Pavel Sulc and Adam Karabec, could be involved for Czechia, who still have an outside chance of qualification, but who are reliant on Croatia slipping up during this international break. The Balkan nation need only one point from their final two games.

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