All eyes were on Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales to see which other countries from the British Isles would join England and Scotland in the 2026 World Cup.
All the teams played at 19:45 for their semi-final in the World Cup Qualifier play-offs, finishing at different times due to stoppage time, extra time or penalties.
Northern Ireland were first to finish out of the three, but their wait to be in the prolific tournament would extend for more than 40 years.
The Green and White Army were away to Italy and suffered a 2-0 defeat after conceding goals to Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean.
Wales were in a promising position against Bosnia & Herzegovina after Daniel James broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, only to be denied in the 86th minute by Edin Dzeko as the game went to extra time after a 1-1 draw.
With no goals in the extra 30 minutes, the semi-final went to penalties in what was a gruelling watch for The Dragons.
Despite Bosnia missing their first penalty from Ermedin Demirovic, the tables would turn in the shootout as misses from Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams cost Wales a place in the final once Kerim Alajbegovic scored the winning penalty.
Ireland were in a similar position against Czech Republic, taking a 2-0 lead after Troy Parrot’s penalty and a Matej Kovar own goal, before Patrick Schick brought a goal back from the 12-yard spot and Ladislav Krejci completed the comeback in the 86th minute.
The 2-2 draw continued until after extra time as a penalty shootout called once again in the World Cup Qualifiers, building a lot of tension in the Fortuna Arena.
The Boys in Green were 3-2 up in the shootout until Finn Azaz and Alan Browne missed from the spot kick, costing Ireland the win and sending Czech Republic through to the final stage.
A devastating night for all three countries, especially for Ireland and Wales who suffered losses on penalties after being three points or less away from the top spots in their groups.
Both England and Scotland will be patiently waiting for the summer to arrive so their 2026 World Cup campaign can kick off.
England take on Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L of the competition.
Scotland face Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in Group C of the tournament.
The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈 
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