🇮🇹 Italy at the World Cup? Miracles, Haaland and play-off hopes 👀 | OneFootball

Italy's victory against Estonia has kept a small World Cup hope alive: Gattuso's Azzurri are now 6 points behind Norway, but with one less game and 9 points still up for grabs.

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The dream of qualifying directly — avoiding the dreaded playoffs — hasn't vanished yet, although it will require a true sporting miracle.

⚽ The Tight Race: Italy against Haaland & co.

On Saturday, October 11, both Italy and Norway secured victories: the Scandinavians overwhelmed Israel 5-0, while Gattuso's men defeated Estonia 3-1 in Tallinn.

The standings show Norway first with a +6 lead, but with one more match played. Essentially, the Azzurri must win all remaining games (Israel, Moldova, and Norway) to hope for the miracle.

📊 Tied Points? The Risk of Goal Difference

If Italy and Norway finish the group with tied points, the first criterion would be goal difference, which currently favors the Scandinavians significantly:

This means that even winning the direct clash at San Siro, the Azzurri would need big wins to close the gap. Otherwise, they will head straight to the playoffs, the most likely scenario.

🙏 A Miracle Called Estonia

The only way to secure direct qualification? Hope that Norway stumbles against Estonia.

If the Estonians manage to snatch even a draw in Oslo, Italy — by winning against Israel and Moldova — would arrive at the direct clash on November 16 with the chance to overtake Haaland and company. A remote hypothesis, but not impossible: football history is full of surprises.

💥 The Final Battle at San Siro

If the combinations align correctly, Italy-Norway on November 16 would become a true early final. At stake is not only the top spot in the group but a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

San Siro is gearing up to become a cauldron, with Gattuso's boys called to write a new page of history.

🧩 Plan B: The Dreaded Playoffs

In the most realistic scenario, Italy will have to face the playoffs in March 2026, along with the second-placed teams and the best excluded Nations League teams. Thanks to the FIFA ranking, the Azzurri would play the semi-final at home, but the final would be decided by a draw.

Among the possible opponents are: 🇬🇧 Scotland, 🇺🇦 Ukraine, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇧🇦 Bosnia, 🇦🇱 Albania, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇮🇪 Northern Ireland, 🇷🇴 Romania, 🇬🇪 Georgia, 🇽🇰 Kosovo

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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