Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick as Sweden defeated Ukraine 3-1 to secure a World Cup play-off final against Poland. The forward, starting up front due to Alexander Isak's injury, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a Benjamin Nygren cross. He doubled Sweden's lead shortly after halftime (51') by catching goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin off guard, and sealed the victory with a penalty in the 71st minute. Ukraine managed a consolation goal through Matviy Ponomarenko in the 90th minute. Sweden will face Poland on March 31st for a place at the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Poland also booked their play-off final spot with a 2-1 win over Albania, thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski. Lewandowski headed home a corner in the 63rd minute, and Zielinski finished with a first-time shot from outside the area in the 73rd minute. Arber Hoxha gave Albania a late lead, but Poland's perfect play-off record remains intact, having qualified for the last World Cup and Euro 2024 via the same route.

Turkey moved closer to ending a World Cup absence since 2002 with a 1-0 win over Romania, secured by Ferdi Kadioglu's second-half goal. The hosts, seeking their first World Cup appearance since 2002, will face Kosovo next week. Bosnia-Herzegovina booked their Italy date after beating Wales 4-2 on penalties, with Edin Dzeko scoring a late equalizer. Denmark powered past North Macedonia 4-0, with Gustav Isaksen scoring twice in two minutes, to face the Czech Republic, who beat the Republic of Ireland on penalties.