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Ben McCrum
A European country has been handed a crucial 3-0 win after their Nations League match was abandoned, and it could boost their chances of making the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
On Friday, the Nations League clash between Romania and Kosovo was suspended in the final moments, leaving the 0-0 match unfinished.
Kosovo players left the pitch with the score goalless with only seconds remaining, after being targeted by pro-Serbia chants from home support. The state of Romania does not currently recognise Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 from neighbouring Serbia, causing tension between the two countries.
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The Kosovo players chose not to return to the pitch, prompting the League C Group 2 match to be abandoned.
Following an investigation, European football's governing body UEFA has now confirmed the final result of the match – and it could have a major impact on qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
UEFA announced that it regards the match as forfeited by Kosovo and therefore, Romania have been granted an automatic 3-0 win.
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Due to the chants, the Romanian FA have also been fined total of €128,000 (£106,425) by UEFA , including €50,000 (£41,582) 'for the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters'. They have also been ordered to close their stadium for one UEFA game.
Despite that punishment, the 3-0 victory could be huge for Romania as it puts them top of their group with 18 points, securing promotion to Nations League B.
Finishing top of the group with such a high points total also significantly boosts Romania's chances of qualifying for the World Cup in 2026.
For that tournament, a total of 16 teams from Europe will qualify, with 12 coming from the qualifying group stage and the remaining four coming via play-offs.
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The winners of the 12 qualifying groups will automatically secure their spot at the World Cup, with the four best-placed runners-up entered into a play-off format against each other and the four best Nations League group winners that finished outside the top two of their World Cup qualifying group.
The majority of the group winners from Nations League A and B are highly likely to finish either as group winners or runners-up in their World Cup qualifying groups.
This would mean that the selection of the four best remaining Nations League group winners could drop down as far as the Nations League C group winners, of which Romania now have the most points.
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Had Romania's game with Kosovo been ruled as a draw or a loss, they would be second out of the four League C winners, behind North Macedonia who finished on 16 points.
But having been given the win, Romania now have a total of 18 points – making them the best group winner in the third division, boosting their chances of securing a World Cup play-off spot.
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Topics: Romania, UEFA, Racism, UEFA Nations League, Football
Ben is a sports journalist who specialises in football and MMA. He has written for publications such as Manchester Evening News, WiganToday, Manchester World and beIN Sports. Throughout his career he has interviewed top athletes in MMA including Tom Aspinall and Michael Bisping.
@benmcc14
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