The Spanish national team secured their qualification for the World Cup for the twelfth consecutive time and sixteenth in their history with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sweden on Sunday, in the final match of the eighth round of the European qualifying group for the World Cup. "La Roja" entered this crucial match as their only rival for the direct qualification spot, leading by one point over the Scandinavian team, after taking advantage of Sweden's 0-2 loss to Georgia in the previous round.
Spain managed to stay ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his teammates with their fourth consecutive win, following a 1-2 loss to Sweden in the fourth round, widening the gap to four points thanks to a goal from substitute Álvaro Morata in the 86th minute.
For the second consecutive time, the Swedish national team will have to play in the playoffs, hoping to replicate the scenario of the 2018 World Cup, when they reached the finals after eliminating the Italian giant, knocking them out of the finals for the first time in 60 years, specifically since 1958.
Direct qualification to the finals is granted to the first-placed teams in each of the ten groups, while the second-placed teams will participate in a playoff involving two qualifying teams from the UEFA Nations League to determine the identity of the other three teams qualifying from Europe.
Unlike the old system, the playoff will not consist of direct matches over two legs; instead, the twelve teams will be divided into three paths determined by a draw, with four teams competing in each path under a semi-final format (March 24-25) and a final match (March 28-29), with the winners qualifying for the World Cup (three teams).
