Europe took the lion's share — 16 places. Twelve group winners qualified directly, and four more came through the March play-offs: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czechia, Sweden and Türkiye.
The story, again, was Italy. The four-time champions lost the play-off final to Bosnia 1-1 (4-1 on penalties) and will miss a third consecutive World Cup — a staggering run for a footballing giant. Bosnia reach only their second major finals; Czechia edged Denmark on penalties after also beating the Republic of Ireland in a shoot-out; Sweden saw off Poland 3-2; Türkiye beat Kosovo 1-0.
European champions in numbers
Spain last 12 months · 11 matches| Goals for/game | 2.9 |
| Goals against/game | 0.8 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 73% |
| Both teams score | 36% |
| Corners/game | 6.5 |
| Yellow cards/game | 1.1 |
| Shots on target/game | 8.2 |
What the numbers say
- a high-scoring side: over 2.5 goals in 73% of games
- a tight defence — just 0.8 conceded per game
- a strong attack — 2.9 goals per game
- works the flanks — 6.5 corners per game
- disciplined — only 1.1 yellows per game
Source: ScanGoal database (national-team matches, last 12 months)
Qualifying in numbers — our database
| Matches analysed | 540 |
| Avg goals per game | 3.0 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 53% |
| Both teams score | 41% |
Source: Europe (UEFA) qualifiers in the ScanGoal database
UEFA group previews: Spain (H), France (I), Germany (E), England (L). Source: UEFA.com.