The UEFA Nations League is expected to have an eventful season. Three Liverpool players have been given a last chance to compete in the 2026 World Cup after barely missing out on automatic qualifying through their individual UEFA Nations League campaigns.
Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak, and Giorgi Mamardashvili will face off in elimination playoffs in March 2026, with each player hoping to clinch his country’s spot in the North American competition.
Bradley, a Northern Ireland international, has an uphill task to lead his country to its first World Cup since 1982, a quest that appeared to be finished as teams battled in an increasingly tough European qualification field.
Isak bears Sweden’s chances of returning to the World Cup after losing out on Qatar in 2022, with the forward aware that failure might result in another four-year hiatus from the world stage.
Georgia’s Mamardashvili will try to lead his country to their first World Cup appearance, which is a true opportunity for the developing football nation to achieve history in the world arena. Meanwhile, Liverpool FC Women’s Beata Olsson has an opportunity to win international attention.
Sweden officially call up Liverpool striker for Nations League
Olsson has got her first senior call-up to the Sweden national team, after a spectacular run of play that has seen the 24-year-old emerge as one of the WSL’s most in-form attackers. The Swedish attacker will join her country’s squad for their UEFA Women’s Nations League third-place playoff against France, with the first leg taking place in Reims on Friday, November 29, before the return encounter in Stockholm on Tuesday, December 3.
Olsson comes in as a late substitute for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Rebecka Blomqvist, who was forced to withdraw due to injury. The Liverpool number 11 has earned her chance with outstanding recent displays, most notably a hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-1 Women’s League Cup win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Olsson, who joined Liverpool from Kristianstads DFF in September, has swiftly established herself with three goals in six WSL games. Her outstanding performance has also earned her a nomination for November’s Barclays Women’s Super League Player of the Month award.
