Gattuso on Italy’s play-off route in the Copa do Brasil | OneFootball

Italy, four-time world champion, will face Northern Ireland in March in the European playoff semifinal for a spot in the 2026 World Cup, after missing the last two editions of the tournament, as determined by the draw held this Thursday (20th) at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.

If victorious, the Italian national team will play for a place in next year's World Cup against the winner of the other Path A semifinal, between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the European playoffs, 16 teams will compete for the continent's last four spots in the World Cup.

Of all the participants, Italy is clearly the biggest powerhouse, with four World Cup titles (1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006) and two European Championships (1968 and 2021).

However, this is the third edition of the Qualifiers in which the ‘Azzurra’ falls into the playoffs, with two disastrous precedents for their passionate fans.

In November 2017, the Italians were defeated 1-0 by Sweden and only managed a goalless draw in the return leg at San Siro, missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It was the first time since 1958 that Italy did not compete in the World Cup, something that took only four years to happen again.

“We can win”

In March 2022, less than a year after winning the Euro, the Italian team was defeated at home 1-0 by North Macedonia, who scored in stoppage time, and once again fell in the playoffs.

Ukraine will play the semifinal against Sweden in Path B, whose other finalist will come from the match between Poland and Albania.

In Path C, the semifinals will be Turkey vs. Romania and Slovakia vs. Kosovo.

And Denmark, who lost the direct spot in the last round of the Qualifiers in a thrilling match against already-qualified Scotland, will face North Macedonia.

The Nordics, who have played in the last six editions of the World Cup, will face either the Czech Republic or Ireland in a potential final, both dreaming of returning to the tournament for the first time since 2006 and 2002, respectively.

Intercontinental playoffs will award two spots

This Thursday also saw the draw for the intercontinental playoffs, which will determine two more spots for the 2026 World Cup.

The playoff format will have two main brackets, with two teams qualifying for next year's World Cup. The matches will be played between March 26 and 31 in the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey.

In one bracket, Iraq will await the winner of the match between Bolivia, seeking its fourth World Cup appearance, and Suriname, a former Dutch colony that has historically provided some of the Netherlands' greatest players and now dreams of its first qualification.

Iraq, which is higher in the FIFA ranking, will not need to play the semifinal. The ‘Lions of Mesopotamia’ have only played in one World Cup, in 1986.

In the other playoff bracket, New Caledonia and Jamaica will face off in the semifinal, and the winner will take on the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final for a spot in next year's World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

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