International friendlies roundup
This international window served up drama: Sweden edged Poland 3–2, Bosnia and Italy finished 1–1 after an end‑to‑end thriller, and Egypt held Spain 0–0 in Barcelona. African sides also grabbed headlines with results like Ivory Coast beating Scotland 1–0 amid a flurry of coach changes. ( )
Viktor Gyökeres swept home an 88th‑minute winner after Sweden had been pegged back twice, with Anthony Elanga (20') and Gustaf Lagerbielke (44') also on the scoresheet and Poland replying through Nicola Zalewski (33') and Karol Świderski (55'); the match was played at Strawberry Arena in Solna. (nbcsports.com) Bosnia advanced to the 2026 World Cup by beating Italy in a penalty shootout after Moise Kean opened the scoring and Alessandro Bastoni was sent off in the 41st minute for a last‑man foul; Haris Tabaković levelled in the 79th and Bosnia won the shootout 4–1 in Zenica. (uefa.com) Spain’s home warm‑up at RCDE Stadium ended with Egypt reduced to 10 men when Hamdy Fathy was shown a red card in the 84th minute, and Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced a string of key saves to keep the match scoreless. (en.as.com) Ivory Coast’s lone goal came from Nicolas Pépé in the 12th minute as the Elephants beat Scotland at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, a fixture in which Steve Clarke’s side made nine changes from their previous XI during the international window. (espn.com) The international window also saw a wave of managerial moves in Africa: Ghana’s FA sacked head coach Otto Addo on March 31, 2026 — 72 days before the World Cup — after friendly defeats including a 5‑1 loss to Austria and a 2‑1 loss to Germany, and Tunisia dismissed Sami Trabelsi following their AFCON exit in January. (aljazeera.com) Those results completed several final World Cup berths on March 31, 2026, with Sweden and Bosnia among the teams sealing places through the UEFA playoff finals as the 48‑team field for the tournament was finalised. (usatoday.com)
