Italy, a four-time World Cup champion, faces yet another daunting path to qualification after Thursday’s FIFA playoff draw set up a challenging route for the Azzurri, who have missed the last two editions of the tournament.
Italy, knocked out by Sweden in 2018 and stunned by North Macedonia in 2022, will host Northern Ireland in a single-elimination semifinal on March 26. The winner will then travel to face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina for a place at the expanded 48-team World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Northern Ireland is expected to pose a test similar to North Macedonia, which survived heavy pressure in Palermo in 2022 before delivering a stoppage-time winner that eliminated Italy.
European Playoff brackets
In another playoff bracket, Ukraine will host Sweden, with the winner earning a home final against Poland or Albania. Ukraine, unable to host qualifiers at home amid the ongoing Russian invasion, played its group-stage games across three Polish cities and could potentially host Poland again — in Poland.
Sweden, which finished last in its qualifying group won by Switzerland, reached the playoffs through last year’s Nations League. Ukraine, meanwhile, has playoff pedigree: they beat Scotland in a delayed 2022 semifinal before falling to Wales in the final.
Europe’s newest football nation, Kosovo, begins its historic bid for a first World Cup appearance with an away tie at Slovakia. The winner will host Turkey or Romania in the playoff final. Kosovo, recognized by UEFA and FIFA in 2016 alongside Gibraltar, declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
Ireland, buoyed by remarkable back-to-back wins over Portugal and Hungary, with all five goals scored by Troy Parrott, will travel to face the Czech Republic. The winner will host Denmark or North Macedonia. Denmark dropped into the playoffs after a dramatic 4-2 defeat in Scotland on Tuesday, sealed by a stoppage-time turnaround that eclipsed Ireland’s own late comeback in Budapest.
Intercontinental Playoffs
FIFA also conducted the draw for the six-team intercontinental playoffs. Seeded Iraq will face either Bolivia or Suriname in a one-game qualifier next March. Congo, seeded in the other bracket, will meet the winner of a single-match semifinal between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
All six intercontinental matches will be played in Mexico between March 23 and 31, at venues in Guadalajara and Monterrey, both of which will stage World Cup games next June.
