Best stories, wildest celebrations from amazing week of World Cup qualifiers

With the final deadline for FIFA World Cup qualification edging ever closer, the November international break delivered more than its fair share of thrills and spills as more national teams either officially secured their place at the 2026 finals, kept their dreams alive by reaching the playoffs or saw them go down in flames.

With so much at stake on the road to next year's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the break produced a plethora of World Cup qualifying drama as tiny nations reached the finals for the first time, last-minute goals decided matches and a handful of major names tumbled by the wayside.

Outside of the major tournaments, the international football calendar can at times be a slog for players and fans alike, with many counting the days until the club games resume. But as we've seen over the past week, when those long journeys culminate with entire nations being gripped by joy and heartbreak, it can be football at its very best.

Here's a quick recap of some of the best stories to emerge from one of the most topsy-turvy weeks in World Cup qualifying history.

- 2026 World Cup: Curaçao make history, Panama and Haiti qualify
- World Cup squads ranked: All 64 teams that could still win next summer
- McTominay joins best overhead kicks ever: Rooney, Ronaldo, more

Haiti

Despite being ranked 88th in the world by FIFA, Haiti defied the odds and qualified for a World Cup for only the second time in their history (and their first in 50 years) by beating Nicaragua 2-0 on Tuesday.

Le Rouge et Bleu began the day behind Honduras on goal difference in Group C of Concacaf's World Cup qualifying, but first-half goals from Louicius Deedson and Ruben Providence sealed the victory, while Honduras were held to a 0-0 draw in Costa Rica.

The victory ensured Haiti's first appearance at a World Cup since West Germany 1974 -- a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that the team have been forced to play on neutral ground, some 500 miles away on the island of Curaçao, while the Caribbean nation is mired in an ongoing conflict.

As a result, despite being appointed 18 months ago, Haiti coach Sebastien Migne has yet to actually set foot in the country itself. However, he will be leading them to the finals next year hoping they can improve on their 0-3 record (with 14 goals conceded) from their last campaign half a century ago.

Curaçao

Curaçao fans joined Haiti in the party as their team also pulled off the unlikely triumph of reaching the 2026 World Cup by holding on for a valiant 0-0 draw in Jamaica on Tuesday.

In a thrilling finale to the Concacaf qualifying groups, Curaçao survived a stoppage-time penalty call to take the point they needed to pip the Reggae Boyz for the top spot in Group B, meaning that they, Haiti and Panama have qualified from the North, Central American and Caribbean section, with Jamaica and Suriname advancing into the interconfederation playoffs.

Coached by Dutch veteran Dick Advocaat, the tiny island nation (approximately 170 square miles) has become the smallest country ever to qualify for the tournament. Its population of around 156,000 is fewer than half that of the previous record holders, Iceland (350,000).

Advocaat was unfortunately forced to miss the Jamaica qualifier due to a family issue, but should the 78-year-old remain in charge of Curaçao for the finals next year, he would become the oldest manager to lead a team at a World Cup, breaking the record that currently belongs to Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years and 317 days when he managed Greece in 2010.

Scotland

On what will go down as one of the most famous nights in Scottish football history, Scott McTominay & Co. produced an astounding display to beat Denmark in a 4-2 thriller and reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

Napoli midfielder McTominay opened the scoring after just three minutes with a spectacular overhead kick, but somehow didn't manage to score the goal of the night. That honor went to midfielder Kenny McLean, who fired in the second of Scotland's two stoppage-time goals from the halfway line after Kieran Tierney had struck a hammer blow first.

Understandably, Hampden Park descended into pandemonium at the final whistle as a breathtaking win for Steve Clarke's side saw 30 years of near-consistent underachievement brushed aside in one fell swoop.

Republic of Ireland

Things were looking bleak for the Republic of Ireland at the start of the November international break, with Heimir Hallgrímsson's team teetering on the brink of missing out on the World Cup altogether.

All it took was 72 bewildering hours and five goals in two games from heroic striker Troy Parrott to turn everything around as vital victories against Portugal and Hungary delivered them from total desolation and into the playoffs.

On Thursday, AZ Alkmaar striker Parrott scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Portugal in Dublin to pull the rug out from under Cristiano Ronaldo and carry Ireland's playoff hopes into their final qualifier against Hungary.

With nothing less than a win required, the 23-year-old scored a hat trick in a sensational 3-2 comeback victory in Budapest, which culminated in a 96th-minute winner that stunned the majority of the Puskás Arena crowd into silence.

Ireland will now play either Czechia, Poland, Slovakia or Wales away from home in their first playoff tie (with Wales securing home advantage in the draw with a thumping 7-1 win over North Macedonia) before facing a subsequent clincher against the winners of a game between nations in Pots 1 and 4 from the upcoming draw. If Ireland can emerge from the playoffs, they will embark on their first World Cup campaign since the 1994 finals in the U.S., when they reached the round of 16 thanks in part to a memorable victory over Italy in New Jersey.

DR Congo

DR Congo erupted in celebration after sending former World Cup mainstays Nigeria packing in a tense penalty shootout at the end of the CAF playoff final.

The game ended 1-1 after extra time, at which point the Leopards brought on a specialist goalkeeper, Timothy Fayulu, to help thwart the Super Eagles in the shootout. Fayulu saved Semi Ajayi's effort, opening the door for captain Chancel Mbemba to score from the spot and send DR Congo into the interconfederation playoffs next March. Should they advance from there,  they will reach their first World Cup finals since 1974, when (formerly known as Zaire) they lost all three of their group games.

The team charged the entire length of the pitch at the stadium in Rabat, Morocco, to celebrate with their travelling supporters though the jubilant atmosphere was ramped up even further when thousands of fans flocked to their 80,000-capacity Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa to welcome their heroes back home.

- What's next for DRC's Leopards after bewitching their way past Nigeria?

Iraq

Iraq also managed to keep their World Cup dreams alive in dramatic fashion thanks to a 107th-minute winner in the second leg of their AFC fifth-round qualifier against the United Arab Emirates.

Having drawn the first tie 1-1, Iraq fell behind against UAE in Basra before gradually hauling themselves back level in the second half.

The cinematic moment was then produced 17 minutes into stoppage time, when Amir Al-Ammari converted a late penalty to secure Iraq's place in the intercontinental playoffs, giving them a chance to reach their first World Cup since Mexico 1986.

First-time qualifiers

The teams contesting the playoffs in March will be hoping to join a clutch of first-time qualifiers at the 2026 World Cup, after a handful of plucky debutants sealed their qualification over the past few weeks. In addition to Curaçao, Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan also booked their places on the biggest stage in football.

It's also worth mentioning that Qatar have enjoyed their first-ever qualification campaign, too, after automatically featuring at the 2022 finals as tournament hosts.