Internationals: Szymanski's Poland and Sulc's Czech Republic advance in World Cup qualifiers

There were plenty of Ligue 1 McDonald's players in action during Thursday's international matches, which included qualifying matches for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. We take you through some of the main action.

Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia

There were plenty of Ligue 1 McDonald's players in action in Denmark's comfortable win over North Macedonia, which leaves them just one victory away from this summer's World Cup, set to be held in North America.

Whilst there were no Ligue 1 McDonald's players on the scoresheet, Marseille's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started the game, whilst Strasbourg's Lucas Hogsberg and Lyon's Noah Nartey also got on the pitch. One more win and Denmark will be in the World Cup next summer.

DENMARK IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE WORLD CUP! 🇩🇰✨ pic.twitter.com/FGw0qNXtjj
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 26, 2026

Mikkel Damsgaard of Brentford got the opener on the 50-minute mark. The floodgates then opened. Gustav Isaken doubled the Scandinavian nation's lead minutes later and then he doubled his own account just seconds after the restart. Arsenal's Christian Norgaard completed the scoring.

Poland 2-1 Albania

Poland are also just one game away from the World Cup, and, in part, they have Rennes' Sébastien Szymanski to thank for that. He got the assist for both of his nation's goals, as they had to come from behind against Albania. He teed up Robert Lewandowski for the equaliser before Piotr Zielinski netted the winner 10 minutes later.

Seba Szymański with two crucial assists for Poland! 🇵🇱🔝 pic.twitter.com/WhHZDwjNYs
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 26, 2026

Ukraine 1-3 Sweden

There was heartbreak for PSG's Illia Zabarnyi, who couldn't prevent Ukraine from losing against Sweden, ending their hopes of World Cup qualification. It was Arsenal forward Viktor Gyokeres who proved the hero for Graham Potter's side, with his three goals doing the damage.

Czechia 2-2 Republic of Ireland (4-3, pens.)

It was a dramatic night in Czechia, who qualified for the final of World Cup qualifying thanks to a win over the Republic of Ireland on penalties. OL's Pavel Sulc started for Czechia, but they fell behind due to a Troy Parrott penalty and just four minutes later, a Czechia own goal left them with a mountain to climb. But climb it they did. Patrik Schick halved the deficit from the spot in the 27th minute, but Czechia only levelled up the game late on. With just four minutes remaining of regulation time, Ladislav Krejci levelled the score. Two misses from the Republic of Ireland in the penalty shootout puts Czechia at the doors of the World Cup.

Georgia 2-2 Israel

There was some friendly action on Thursday night, too, including an exciting four-goal game between Georgia and Israel. PSG forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia captained his side on the night, but the added responsibility did not prove a burden, as he netted a brace. However, having put his side in charge, Georgia ceded their control and slumped to a 2-2 draw.

France were also in action, beating Brazil thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembélé and Hugo Ekitiké. PSG's Ousmane Dembélé got the assist for Les Bleus' opener. Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche and Désiré Doué also got on the pitch as they beat the South American nation 2-1, despite playing over 30 minutes with a numerical disadvantage.

>> Internationals: What's ahead for the Rest of the World