World Cup playoff draw: Date, time and possible Italy opponents | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup playoff draw will take place on Thursday, November 20, at 13:00 CET, and Italy will be in pot one.

Italy will certainly need to go through the World Cup playoff in March next year as only a victory by nine goals against Norway on Sunday would guarantee direct qualification for the tournament.

Which teams qualify for the World Cup playoff?

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: (EDITORS NOTE: In this photo taken from a remote camera from behind the goal) Moise Kean of Italy scores his team’s a first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

As reported by Corriere della Sera, 16 teams will participate in the playoff: the 12 runners-up in the European World Cup qualifying groups and the four best group winners of the 2024-25 Nations League, who have not yet earned direct qualification for the World Cup or have not finished as runners-up.

The draw will take place on Thursday, November 20, at 13:00 CET (12:00 GMT).

There will be a one-legged semifinal and a one-legged final. Italy will get their semifinal opponent from pot 4.

The semifinal will be played at the home of the best-placed team in the FIFA ranking, while the final’s venue will be decided by a draw.

Italy a seeded team in the World Cup playoff draw

Gianluca Mancini and Italy celebrate the opening goal in their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Moldova (@azzurri)

The top three pots in the draw are determined by the FIFA Ranking, which means Italy are at least guaranteed a spot among the four seeded teams and will play the semifinal at home. The fourth and final pot is formed by the Nations League teams.

Currently, with one game remaining, this is how the four pots look.

Pot 1 Italy (9) Turkey (26) Poland (33) Hungary (37)