In today’s dynamic landscape of international football, there are multiple avenues to secure a spot in the World Cup, as Sweden recently discovered.

The Swedish team, led by Graham Potter, was on cloud nine after securing a victory against Poland on Tuesday night. Viktor Gyokeres sealed the win with a goal in the 88th minute, leading to jubilant celebrations. Potter couldn’t contain his excitement, expressing his delight post-match.

“We weren’t perfect, but who cares?” he enthused. “We’re going to the World Cup, baby. Wow.”

This success was partly due to the Nations League, which offered Sweden another opportunity to compete in the upcoming summer tournament. By winning their Nations League group, Sweden found themselves poised for a chance at qualification.

It required a favorable turn of events, as the four highest-ranked Nations League group winners, who hadn’t qualified through the usual routes, were given a lifeline. Sweden met this criterion, securing their place.

Sweden qualified for the World Cup via the play-offs, despite failing to win a game in their qualifying campaign

Viktor Gyokeres and Graham Potter steered the Swedes to the tournament at the expense of others who had better qualifying campaigns

Ranked 10th among the 14 group winners, Sweden benefited from the fact that several top teams like Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, England, and Norway had already qualified, while Wales and Czechia were in the play-offs. This opened the door for teams like Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, and Northern Ireland to step in and take advantage of the opportunity.

So what exactly is qualifying and the point of it? Why should Kosovo, who finished on 11 points in Sweden’s group – beating them twice along the way – but lost in the play-offs, miss out at the hands of the Swedes, who picked up nine points fewer in actual qualifying?

An incentive to take the Nations League seriously? A way around finding more teams to compete in the play-offs? Probably the latter. Whether it’s the right way is a different question.

There have been plenty of critics of the format as a whole. Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso, whose side also failed to reach the World Cup – for the third time in a row – had some harsh words in 2025, but for a different reason.

‘In my day, the best runners-up went straight to the World Cup (sic, not all of them did), now the rules have changed,’ Gattuso said in 2025. ‘Italy’s record of six wins? You’d have to ask the people who make the groups and the rules.

‘In 1990 and 1994, there were two (sic, there were three) African teams, now there are nine. It’s not a controversy, but there are difficulties, and we know it well.

‘If we look at South America, where six out of 10 teams go directly to the World Cup and the seventh heads into a play-off with a team from Oceania (sic, not certain), that does give you regrets and a certain sadness. That is the disappointment. The system needs to change in Europe.’

Essentially, Gattuso was suggesting that stronger sides are missing out on the World Cup because they are in Europe. It’s essentially an argument of how many teams from each continent should be there. Something consistently monitored and consistently changing.

Kosovo are one of the sides who missed out on qualification despite finishing nine points ahead of Sweden in the same group

Italy will also miss out for the third World Cup in a row, with Gennaro Gattuso (right) also critical of the process

But looking at Sweden’s qualification isn’t necessarily a good look. Some may argue that World Cup qualification should be World Cup qualification full stop. Without the Nations League.

‘The look of this is just sad and disappointing,’ one fan wrote on social media.

Another added: ‘It leaves a sour taste.’

Like anything, this will likely get clearer with time. This is the first World Cup with 48 teams, and things may be adapted in terms of qualifying for future tournaments.

But that is no silver lining for the likes of Kosovo, the likes of Italy. There is little they can do now, though, but look forward, and hope things either change or they themselves get better.

That’s football, eh.