Italy Seek FIFA World Cup Redemption In High Stakes Playoff Against Northern Ireland

FIFA World Cup 2026: Italy will first host Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifying playoff in March but then would go on the road to reach its first tournament after back-to-back failures at this stage.

FIFA made the playoffs draw on Thursday that will send the winner between four-time champion Italy and the Northern Irish on March 26 to travel to face Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later. At stake was a place at the first 48-team finals tournament in north America.

Italy has not played at a World Cup since 2014 and was pushed into the playoffs by finishing runner-up in a qualifying group won by Norway.

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In other European playoff brackets, Ukraine will host Sweden with the winner then at home to Poland or Albania.

Kosovo’s path to a first ever World Cup as Europe’s newest soccer nation is away to Slovakia followed by hosting Turkey or Romania.

Ireland’s reward for remarkable back-to-back wins over Portugal and Hungary in the past week is a playoff semifinal at the Czech Republic with the winner then hosting Denmark or North Macedonia.

FIFA also made the draw for the six-nation intercontinental playoffs that do not involve Europe.

Iraq, which was seeded in the draw, will have to beat Bolivia or Suriname in a one-game playoff next March to qualify for the finals tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Congo was seeded in the other intercontinental playoffs bracket and will play the winner of a single-game semifinal between New Caledonia and Jamaica.

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The six intercontinental playoff games will be staged in Mexico from March 23-31 at stadiums in Guadalajara and Monterrey, which each will host four World Cup games next June.

A total of six teams will advance from the two sets of playoffs in March to complete the first 48-nation lineup.

The other 42 teams were confirmed this week when qualifying groups and playoff games were completed on four continents.