Czechia host the Republic of Ireland in a one‑leg World Cup play‑off semi‑final at Prague’s Fortuna Arena on March 26, 2026, with the winner to face either Denmark or North Macedonia in a deciding home final at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on March 31. Ireland arrive buoyed by November wins over Portugal and Hungary — Troy Parrott scored five goals across those games — and are led on the pitch by veteran Seamus Coleman despite limited club minutes this season. Heimir Hallgrímsson has kept faith with an experienced core and a largely unchanged approach. Czechia, managed by Miroslav Koubek in his international debut, have named a side anchored by Patrik Schick and newly appointed captain Ladislav Krejci; Tomas Soucek remains in the squad despite being stripped of the armband during the campaign. Around 6,000 Irish supporters have travelled to Prague though only about 1,024 away tickets were allocated, prompting warnings about fake resales. Broadcasters include RTÉ2 in Ireland and Amazon Prime in some markets. A tense, physical contest — and the possibility of extra time or penalties — looms for both teams.

On March 26, 2026 Europe’s high‑stakes World Cup play-offs reached their semi‑final stage, with Italy hosting Northern Ireland at Atalanta’s New Balance Arena in Bergamo in one of eight one‑leg ties that will determine four of UEFA’s final places for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 16‑team European mini‑tournaments (Paths A–D) require two straight knockout wins to qualify; Italy’s winner would enter Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. Gennaro Gattuso has framed the Bergamo tie as the most important match of his career amid pressure on four‑time champions who missed the last two tournaments. Northern Ireland arrive under Michael O’Neill without injured Premier League duo Conor Bradley and Dan Ballard but buoyed by a young, battle‑hardened squad. Other European semis include Wales v Bosnia, Ukraine v Sweden (in Valencia), Poland v Albania, Turkey v Romania, Slovakia v Kosovo, Denmark v North Macedonia and Czechia v Ireland. Separately, two inter‑confederation play‑off paths in Mexico will decide the final two World Cup slots (New Caledonia v Jamaica; Bolivia v Suriname, with winners facing DR Congo and Iraq). Broadcast partners include BBC, fubo, FOX/Telemundo and FIFA+.

Dame Sarah Mullally was formally installed on March 25 at Canterbury Cathedral as the Church of England’s 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold the office in its roughly 1,400‑year history. The former NHS nurse and ex‑chief nursing officer, who became Bishop of London in 2018, took her seat on the 13th‑century Chair of St Augustine before about 2,000 guests including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and international church leaders. The service blended ancient ritual and global symbolism — Mullally knocked three times at the west door, wore a mitre and a ring once given to a predecessor by Pope Paul VI, and heard prayers and readings in multiple languages with African choirs taking part. She used her first sermon to acknowledge past safeguarding failures, pledge action for victims and pray for peace in conflict zones. Her October appointment drew criticism from conservative provinces, but some rival plans to appoint an alternate figurehead were dropped this month in favour of a new council for dissenting provinces.

At a March 24 “Ignition” event, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined a rapid, three‑phase overhaul of the Artemis programme that pauses work on the planned Lunar Gateway and redirects hardware and funding toward a $20 billion permanent lunar base. The agency said it will accelerate robotic deliveries (up to 15 early landers), build out surface infrastructure in staged phases and aim for more frequent crewed surface missions — targeting at least one landing per year and a six‑month cadence as capabilities mature. NASA also unveiled Space Reactor‑1 “Freedom,” a demonstration nuclear‑electric spacecraft planned to launch to Mars by 2028 carrying multiple “Skyfall” helicopters. Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis flight, remains scheduled as a lunar flyby with a launch window no earlier than April 1, 2026; agency teams are conducting final pad preparations and public livestream coverage. Isaacman framed the shift as driven by geopolitical competition with China and by a push to leverage commercial partners, though industry schedules (notably commercial landers) and partner roles (ESA, JAXA, CSA) face uncertainty as Gateway elements are repurposed.

Two British men, aged 47 and 45, were arrested on March 25 in connection with an arson attack that gutted four ambulances operated by Jewish volunteer service Hatzola in Golders Green, north London. The vehicles were set alight in the early hours of March 23; oxygen canisters on board exploded, shattering nearby windows and prompting evacuations but causing no physical injuries. Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the probe, citing CCTV that appears to show at least three hooded suspects. Authorities are investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group with possible links to Iran; police have not attributed the attack to the Iranian state. The two men were released on bail on March 26 with strict conditions and are due to reappear in April as searches at addresses in northwest and central London continue. The Metropolitan Police has increased visible patrols, including armed officers, around Jewish sites and schools; the government provided replacement ambulances to Hatzola and communities have launched fundraising for a secure base.