Have Wales qualified for 2026 World Cup after defeating North Macedonia?

The final matchday of the UEFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers has been played, definitively determining which teams secured direct qualification for the upcoming tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In this context, Wales secured an impressive 7-1 victory over North Macedonia in a crucial Group J contest for final placement.

By defeating North Macedonia, Wales did not secure direct qualification, but they did solidify second place in Group J and will now participate in the European play-off draw for the 2026 World Cup. However, Craig Bellamy’s team had already guaranteed its place in the play-offs by virtue of winning its group in the 2025 UEFA Nations League.

The same situation applies to North Macedonia; by winning Group L of the 2025 UEFA Nations League, they had already secured their spot in the play-offs as well. The match against Wales was important primarily to determine which team would finish second and which would finish third in the group.

Even though both teams were already assured a spot in the play-offs, finishing second was the priority for both. Finishing second guarantees a home semi-final in the play-offs, while finishing third means that North Macedonia will have to face a top seed away from home.

Harry Wilson scored a hat-trick for Wales vs North Macedonia. (Getty Images)

European play-off draw confirmed

Following the conclusion of the final matchday of the UEFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, the 16 European national teams that will contest the play-offs for a chance to reach the prestigious tournament have been confirmed.

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The 12 teams that qualified as runners-up in their respective groups are: Albania, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Wales, Turkey, Kosovo, Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The four national teams that qualified for the play-offs thanks to their performance in the 2025 Nations League are: North Macedonia, Romania, Sweden, and Northern Ireland.