PLAY-OFF REDEMPTION

Momentum represents a huge factor in football, and it will be no different as European nations do battle in the 2026 World Cup playoffs in the spring.

- Nick Bidwell

Group stage runners-up who ended their respective campaigns with a flourish should start the win-or-bust encounters with a marked psychological advantage; those who suffered late heartbreak or humiliation possibly have a mental mountain to climb.

Take Wales. Buoyed by their 7-1 thrashing of North Macedonia in the final group game, Craig Bellamy's side will be bursting with confidence when hosting Bosnia & Herzegovina in their playoff semifinal. And the same goes for the Republic of Ireland who, after claiming the scalp of mighty Portugal and winning in Hungary with a last-gasp Troy Parrott goal, will travel to the Czech Republic very much on a high.