FIFA WC 2026 Qualifiers: Faroe Islands stun Czech, Depay stars for Dutch

Faroe Islands beat Czech Republic 2-1 in a historic World Cup 2026 qualifier; Depay scores record 54th for Netherlands, Denmark and Scotland stay level.

Tiny Faroe Islands produced one of the biggest upsets of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, defeating Czech Republic 2-1 on Sunday to keep their dream of reaching their first-ever World Cup alive.

 

Ranked 136th in the world, the island nation of less than 55,000 people pulled off a remarkable victory in Torshavn, moving to third in Group L—just one point behind the Czechs, who sit second. The win keeps the playoff race wide open, with Croatia leading the group by three points after a comfortable 3-0 win over Gibraltar.

 

Substitute Martin Agnarsson became the hero with an 81st-minute winner, sealing a historic night at the Torsvollur Stadium, which holds just over 6,000 fans. Earlier, Hanus Sorensen had fired the hosts into a surprise lead in the 67th minute before Adam Karabec briefly equalised for the visitors.

 

The Faroe Islands—once ranked as low as 198th—were considered rank outsiders against a Czech side still eyeing top spot. But the result has thrown the group wide open, leaving Croatia in pole position with a game in hand.

 

Depay extends record as Netherlands dominate

 

In Group G, the Netherlands strengthened their position at the top with a commanding 4-0 victory over Finland in Amsterdam. Memphis Depay converted a first-half penalty to notch his record-extending 54th international goal for the Oranje.

 

Donyell Malen, Virgil van Dijk, and Cody Gakpo also found the net as the Dutch moved to 16 points, three ahead of Poland, who remain second following a 2-0 win against Lithuania.

 

For Poland, Sebastian Szyma?"ski opened the scoring directly from a corner before Robert Lewandowski sealed the win, keeping their qualification hopes alive with two matches remaining.

 

Denmark and Scotland stay level in Group C

 

Group C continues to deliver drama, with Denmark and Scotland locked on 10 points each after both sides registered crucial wins.

 

At Hampden Park, Scotland edged Belarus 2-1, with Che Adams and Scott McTominay on the scoresheet. Gleb Kuchko struck late for Belarus but couldn’t prevent defeat.

 

In Athens, Rasmus Højlund continued his red-hot form since joining Napoli, scoring the opener in Denmark’s 3-1 victory over Greece. The 21-year-old now has eight goals for club and country since his loan move. Denmark remain ahead of Scotland on goal difference after four games.

 

Romania halt Austria’s perfect run

 

In Group H, Romania stunned leaders Austria, ending their 100% record with a 1-0 win in Bucharest. Virgil Ghita’s dramatic goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time sealed the upset, just days after Austria’s 10-0 demolition of San Marino.

 

The defeat tightens the group standings, with Bosnia and Herzegovina now just two points behind Austria, setting up a tense finish in the race for qualification.