A number of key players will be going through the emotional mill while away with their countries this break
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
09:00, 26 Mar 2026
Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu is one of those fighting for World Cup qualification
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Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu is one of those fighting for World Cup qualification(Image: Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This evening, five Leeds United players embark on their most important game so far this season.
More crucial matches will follow this international break but nothing compares to helping your country qualify for the World Cup. That’s the task before Wales quartet Karl Darlow, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Daniel James, with it the same for Sweden’s Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Two wins separate them from a place at the finals. An easy thing to say, a much tougher thing to complete, especially for Wales.
They must overcome a tricky Bosnia outfit before taking on either Northern Ireland or, most likely, Italy in the final. What comes as a fillip for the Dragons is both games being at home in Cardiff.
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The country are trying to qualify for consecutive World Cups for the first time in their history and if they can, a tasty group awaits. Co-hosts Canada, managed by Jesse Marsch, Switzerland and Qatar await the winners of ‘Path A’ in Group B.
It would offer a great chance for Wales to reach the knock-out phase for the first time since 1958, especially given that the eight best-ranked third place teams qualify from the group phase.
Meanwhile, in their play-off path, Sweden will fancy their chances against either Poland or Albania should they get past Ukraine in the semi-finals. Whoever comes out on top in ‘Path B’ will go into Group F, which includes the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia - a tougher prospect.
Sweden only qualified for the play-offs by virtue of their Nations League performance so perhaps feel like they are there on a bonus given they finished bottom of their qualifying group after picking up just two points from their games. There has since been a change of manager, with Graham Potter now in charge.
Wales narrowly missed out on automatic qualification
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Wales narrowly missed out on automatic qualification(Image: Ian Cook - CameraSport via Getty Images)
For Wales, the picture is wholly different - they lost out on automatic qualification by two points. They earned a play-off spot by finishing second in their group and to fall this month having done so well previously would be hard to stomach, especially on home soil.
If that comes to pass then Leeds and Daniel Farke must use their man-management skills upon their return to Thorp Arch. They would be heartbroken, crestfallen and frustrated, as would Gudmundsson if Sweden follow such a fate.
These are key players who Leeds need for a crucial seven-game Premier League run-in period. Of course, they are professional footballers and the expectation is that they will put these emotions to one side when the club game returns. Perhaps it will actually help them.
Yet, as Farke often underlines, these players are not robots. They are humans with emotion and it will be about making sure they channel that into helping Leeds avoid the drop.
In an ideal world, all players come back having helped their nations qualify for the World Cup. What a boost that would bring, what a springboard that would be. But reality says such a prospect is far from assured.
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It is right to mention too that Joel Piroe will try and help Suriname, whose population is smaller than the district of Leeds, do the unthinkable and qualify for the World Cup. However, the chances of them beating Bolivia and then Iraq are slim.
Piroe, who will make his debut tomorrow having not played any role in the country’s qualification stage, will know this. That’s not to dismiss any disappointment he may feel. Indeed, Farke must ensure his whole squad is on a good mental plane for the final stretch.
This international break has actually come at a good time for Leeds given their four-game goalless streak, offering them a chance to reset. The danger is that key players come back disappointed and struggle to shake it off ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham.
As mentioned, these are high-level athletes who should be able to do so. But the point is Farke’s man-management skills might have to come into play when it matters most - and more than ever across his Leeds tenure.
Farke values squad harmony so highly that he has sometimes placed it above a transfer arrival. Players often speak about how his personable assets shine through from the first chat.
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With Farke and Leeds facing crunch time for the final seven Premier League matches of the season amid possible disappointed faces returning to Thorp Arch, these assets may face their biggest test yet.