RON AT THE PEAK OF THE WORLD

PORTUGAL is leading the race to secure the top spot in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, with two matches remaining. Several other European teams are also vying for spots at the finals in their upcoming games.

Roberto Martinez’s team can guarantee their qualification with wins against the Republic of Ireland at 8.45pm on Saturday and Hungary next Tuesday, unless Armenia manages to defeat both of those same Group F rivals.

In the meantime, their star Cristiano Ronaldo has made history as football’s first billionaire, boasting a net worth of $1.4 billion, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

As Portugal approaches qualification, Erling Haaland and his Norway squad may be just one win away from reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Norway will host Israel at 6pm on Saturday, knowing that a victory would end their 28-year drought from the World Cup, provided Italy does not beat either Estonia at 8.45pm on Saturday or Israel in Group I.

The European champions, Spain, also have the chance to secure a spot in North and Central America if they can defeat both Georgia and Bulgaria, but only if other results in Group E favor them.

Croatia and Switzerland could potentially qualify in the upcoming week as well.

However, Germany finds themselves with little room for error in Group A after a surprising loss to Slovakia in their opening qualifier.

Julian Nagelsmann’s team faces Luxembourg at 8.45pm on Friday, before heading to Windsor Park to take on Northern Ireland three days later.

Selected European World Cup qualifiers:

Friday: Germany v Luxembourg, Sweden v Switzerland (both 8.45pm)

Saturday: Norway v Israel (6pm), Portugal v Ireland, Estonia v Italy, Spain v Georgia (all 8.45pm)