The final World Cup qualifiers took place yesterday and were, as expected, full of drama. Our Andrew Greif breaks down all the results below. The headline: The final member of Team USA’s group will be Turkey, not Kosovo, and Italy will miss the tournament entirely.
Also, our Rohan Nadkarni recently had a wide-ranging interview with Bam Adebayo, the Miami Heat center who scored 83 points in a single game last month. In today’s newsletter: an excerpt from that conversation, on one of the greatest playoff moments in Heat history.
Check NBC News tomorrow for a full story on Adebayo, and keep coming back for continued coverage leading up to this summer’s World Cup.
The Field is Set
You didn’t have to be a soccer fan to appreciate the drama that played out yesterday across six matches — the final qualifying matches for the World Cup — stretching from Kosovo to Guadalajara, Mexico. There were penalty kicks, extra-time goals and a red card — and 12 hours after the day’s qualifiers started, the field for this summer’s World Cup was finally set.
That means that nearly four months after the 48-team field was drawn into four-team groups, the U.S. men at last know their third and final group stage opponent.
With a 1-0 win over Kosovo, Turkey qualified for Group D, where it will face the U.S. on June 25 in Inglewood, California. That will follow U.S. matches on June 12 against Paraguay, also in Inglewood, and June 19 against Australia in Seattle. One analysis of yesterday’s result is that the group stage games just got harder for the U.S.: In FIFA’s world rankings, Turkey is 22nd, while Kosovo, Team USA’s other prospective opponent, is 78th.
This will be Turkey’s first World Cup appearance since 2002, and it wasn’t the only nation yesterday to end a long tournament drought. Congo made its first World Cup since 1974 after its 100th-minute goal beat Jamaica in extra time.
In Prague, Denmark scored a game-tying goal in the 111th minute — only for Czechia to ultimately win on penalty kicks to book its first World Cup appearance since 2006. Sweden, which missed out on the 2022 tournament, snuck past Poland after a goal in the 88th minute.
Iraq grabbed the final qualifying spot to advance to its first World Cup since 1986 by beating Bolivia, 2-1, in the day’s final game.
In perhaps the biggest shocker, Bosnia and Herzegovina outlasted Italy on penalty kicks to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. A proud soccer nation with four World Cup titles in its history, Italy will miss a third consecutive World Cup. Italy was down a player for the entire second half after earning a costly red card.
“We still don’t believe it,” the Italian defender Leonardo Spinazzola said, according to The Associated Press.
Bam's Block
The Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics tonight, the latest chapter in an ongoing Eastern Conference rivalry. We recently spoke with Heat center Bam Adebayo about one of the great plays from the team’s postseason battles: Adebayo’s game-clinching block against Jayson Tatum in overtime of Game 1 of the 2020 Eastern Conference finals.
“I could have, for sure, been on the other end of the highlight,” Adebayo told NBC News. “That moment happened so fast, but also like it was in slow motion at the same time.”
The Heat were leading 116-114 with 12 seconds left when Tatum received the ball at the top of the key. After eventually driving by Jimmy Butler, Tatum went up for a dunk, only to be met with a denial by Adebayo above the rim. Miami won the game and eventually the series, advancing to the NBA Finals.
“I remember — it was so quiet in there, because it’s the bubble — it sounded like the basketball popped. And I remember like, ‘Damn. What just happened?’ I remember my hands tingling. But also when it happened, I was just so worried about getting the ball that I didn’t realize what happened. By the time I blocked it, I’m looking to grab the ball, and then I just see my teammates on the sideline going crazy, and I was like, ‘Dang, I really blocked that at the rim.’”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra recalled: “I said ‘Oh, s---!’ in the moment of it, and it was oh, s--- because Tatum had a wide-open angle to the rim, and that’s unlike us. And then the double oh, s--- when Bam made the play.”
For more on Adebayo’s defensive greatness, be sure to come back to NBC News tomorrow.
What We're Reading
Iran “will be at the World Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
Changes are coming to the NFL schedule for next year, including dropping “Monday Night Football” doubleheaders.
Tiger Woods says he’ll seek treatment after his DUI arrest.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league has no plans to ditch the Rooney Rule despite pressure from the Florida attorney general.
Robin DeLorenzo, one of the first three female NFL officials, filed suit against the league over her treatment and firing.
LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most wins in NBA history with the Lakers’ victory over his former team, the Cavaliers.
Mariners prospect Colt Emerson inked a $95 million contract — before he’s even played a game.
MLB umpire C.B. Bucknor is under more heat after missing a call at first base and not even looking at the play when making the call.
What We're Watching
Barring another team’s collapse, Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat appear headed toward the NBA play-in tournament. They’ll try to improve their standing tonight against the rival Boston Celtics.
Also, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs continue their chase for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference tonight against the Golden State Warriors.
All times are Eastern:
- 7:30 p.m.: Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat, on ESPN
- 9 p.m.: Anaheim Ducks vs. San Jose Sharks, on HBO Max
- 10 p.m.: San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors, on ESPN
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
