Italy is set to face Northern Ireland in a critical World Cup qualifying playoff in March. The winner of this match will move on to play either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina in their quest to secure a spot in the upcoming 48-team finals tournament in North America.
Having not participated in a World Cup since 2014, Italy is eager to break their streak of disappointments at this stage. They secured a spot in the playoffs by finishing as the runner-up in their qualifying group, which was topped by Norway.
In another playoff matchup in Europe, Ukraine will host Sweden, with the victor facing either Poland or Albania in the next round. Kosovo is also on the road to their first-ever World Cup appearance, starting with a match against Slovakia and potentially hosting either Turkey or Romania.
Ireland, following impressive wins over Portugal and Hungary, will now face the Czech Republic in the playoff semifinals. The winner of this match will then host either Denmark or North Macedonia in the next round of qualifiers.
FIFA has also announced the matchups for the intercontinental playoffs, with Iraq set to play against either Bolivia or Suriname for a chance to qualify for the finals tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Congo, the other seeded team in this bracket, will await the winner between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
The intercontinental playoff games will take place in Mexico from March 23-31, with stadiums in Guadalajara and Monterrey hosting the matches. Six teams will advance from these playoffs to complete the lineup of 48 nations for the upcoming World Cup.
The World Cup draw is scheduled for December 5 in Washington, D.C., where the unconfirmed playoff teams will be drawn as placeholders. Iraq’s dramatic victory over the United Arab Emirates secured their spot in the global playoffs, with their last World Cup appearance dating back to 1986.
New Caledonia, the lowest-ranked team in the playoffs, earned their spot by defeating Tahiti but later fell to New Zealand in the Oceania qualifying final. Coach Johann Sidaner’s team is gearing up for the challenging playoff matches after a recent friendly win against Gibraltar.