Wins for Wales and Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifiers

It was a good night for the home nations with Wales and Northern Ireland both in action in their World Cup 2026 qualifying matches.

Wales moved to the top of their group with a 1-0 win against away to Kazakhstan.

And Northern Ireland also came away with three points, after a 3-1 victory against Luxembourg.

Next summer's expanded 48-team World Cup will be will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico - the first time that the tournament will take place across three countries.

Keep reading to find out how both teams did and when Scotland and England will play their next matches.

Kazakhstan v Wales

Wales' 7,000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan's capital Astana was the furthest they had travelled in their history for a qualifier.

They were also without a number of their Premier League players including Ethan Ampadu, Connor Roberts, and Joe Rodon who were out through injury.

On his 50th international appearance, Kieffer Moore gave Wales a 1-0 lead mid-way through the first half.

Kazakhstan twice hit the woodwork, including with the last kick of the game, but Wales managed to hang on for an important win to claim all three points.

Wales currently top Group J with 10 points and their next World Cup qualifying match will be at home against Belgium on Monday 13 October.

Luxembourg v Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland got off to a great start with Jamie Reid scoring after seven minutes, after Isaac Price's penalty was saved.

However, Luxembourg equalised before half-time.

Early in the second half, Shea Charles put Northern Ireland 2-1 ahead, and after Luxembourg had a man sent off, Justin Devenny made it 3-1.

Their victory means they top their group, but they've got a tricky game to come.

On Sunday evening they play four-time World Cup winners, Germany.

When do Scotland and England play their next World Cup qualifiers?

Scotland play Denmark in Group C on Friday 5 September. They will then travel to to Hungary to face Belarus on Monday evening.

Steve Clarke's side are hoping to reach their first World Cup finals since 1998.

England play Andorra at Villa Park - Aston Villa's home ground - on Saturday 6 September, then travel to play Serbia on Tuesday 9 September.

England are top of Group K with three wins out of three.

When and where will the 2026 World Cup take place?

The 2026 Fifa World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The tournament will start on 11 June in Mexico City and end on 19 July in New Jersey.

It is being expanded to include 48 teams for the first time in its history, and as a result it will last a record 39 days.

The new format will also feature 12 four-team groups and a last-32 knockout round.