After the big 5–1 win over lowly Belarus, Greece had a poor showing against Denmark in Piraeus and a solid performance in Glasgow — at least until the 62nd minute.

Yet, the national team suffered two defeats, 3–0 to Denmark and 3–1 to Scotland, and now trails both Scandinavian sides by four points in Group 3 of the qualifiers.

Greece no longer controls its own fate — not for first place and not even for second, which would offer a chance to reach the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico through the March playoffs.

The only scenario for direct qualification

A football miracle is needed. There is just one way. Greece, Denmark, and Scotland all still have to play Belarus, who are the group’s weakest team and likely to lose all remaining matches.
If Greece beats Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday, it will move up to six points, with Denmark staying on seven. Scotland, who play Belarus at home, are expected to reach ten points.

Everything would then be decided in November. On the 15th, Greece hosts Scotland — and with a win would rise to nine points, while Scotland would remain on ten. Denmark, who also face Belarus at home, would go to ten as well.

In the final round on November 18, Greece play Belarus away and would likely reach twelve points. For Greece to top the group, Scotland and Denmark would need to draw in Glasgow, leaving both on eleven points.
Only in that case would Greece finish first and qualify directly for the World Cup — an extremely difficult scenario.

The battle for second place

If the miracle doesn’t happen, Greece will need to earn five more points than either Scotland or Denmark over the last three matches.
Goal difference, not head-to-head results, will determine tiebreaks because this is a FIFA competition — and that’s a disadvantage for Greece.

Sunday’s game in Denmark will largely decide everything.
If Greece lose, both Denmark and Scotland will move to ten points while Greece stay on three, making even second place practically impossible.

With a win, Greece would close in on Denmark, who still have to visit Scotland, and host Belarus in Piraeus.
If Greece draw in Copenhagen, they’ll have four points — meaning two wins in November could take them to ten. In that case, they’d still need Scotland to lose at home to Denmark, and even then, goal difference might not be in Greece’s favor (Scotland are currently +4, Greece –1).

A “Scottish shower” for Greece in Glasgow

Greece took the lead in Scotland but conceded three soft goals and eventually lost 3–1, falling to third in the group. The dream of qualifying for the World Cup is now slipping away.
Sunday’s match in Denmark will be Greece’s last real chance — and only a win will keep hopes alive.

At the 62nd minute, Tsimikas opened the scoring with a right-footed shot — his first goal for Greece — after a neat build-up involving Masouras, Tzolis, Bakasetas, and Pavlidis.
But just two minutes later, Christie equalized for Scotland, and after a VAR check, the goal stood.

In the 80th minute, Ferguson completed the comeback for 2–1 after a scrappy play in the box, and in stoppage time, Dykes made it 3–1, capitalizing on an error by goalkeeper Tzolakis.