The draw for the UEFA play-offs to reach the 2026 World Cup has been made in Zurich.

The group stage of World Cup qualifying is over, with teams beginning to book their flights to Canada, Mexico and the United States for next summer’s tournament.

Croatia, a semifinalist in 2022 and beaten finalist by France in 2018, was edged down into pot 2 for the draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The 2025/26 UEFA Women's Champions League knockout draw on 18 December will set the bracket from the knockout phase play-offs to the final.

Chelsea Women face Barcelona Women on Thursday in a repeat of last season’s Champions League semi-final, which was won convincingly by the visitors (8pm, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, Disney+).

They hit the French giants on the counter time and time again, building a 3-0 lead after just 37 minutes that pretty much nobody saw coming.