Italy is set to face Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifying playoff in March, followed by a potential away match to secure a spot in their first tournament after missing out in the last two attempts at this stage. FIFA conducted the playoffs draw, determining that the victor of the Italy vs. Northern Ireland clash on March 26 will travel to play against either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later. The prize at stake is a place in the upcoming 48-team finals tournament in North America.
Having not participated in a World Cup since 2014, Italy was pushed into the playoffs after finishing as runners-up in a qualifying group topped by Norway. In other European playoff fixtures, Ukraine will host Sweden, with the winner then facing Poland or Albania at home.
Kosovo, aiming for their first-ever World Cup appearance as Europe’s newest footballing nation, will commence their journey away to Slovakia, followed by a home match against the winner of Turkey or Romania. Ireland’s impressive recent victories over Portugal and Hungary have earned them a playoff semifinal against the Czech Republic. The winner of this clash will then host Denmark or North Macedonia.
Additionally, FIFA revealed the draw for the intercontinental playoffs involving six nations outside of Europe. Iraq, a seeded team in the draw, must overcome Bolivia or Suriname in a one-game playoff in March to secure a spot in the finals tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Congo, also seeded, awaits the winner of a single-game semifinal between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
The intercontinental playoff matches will take place in Mexico from March 23-31, with games scheduled in Guadalajara and Monterrey, both of which will host four World Cup matches in June. Six teams will progress from the March playoffs to complete the lineup of 48 nations for the tournament.
The World Cup draw is scheduled for December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The six unconfirmed playoff teams will be drawn as placeholders, likely emerging from the group of lowest-ranked teams in the seeded draw. Iraq secured their spot in the global playoffs with a last-minute penalty against the United Arab Emirates, sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory in the two-leg Asian playoff.
Iraq, with a sole World Cup appearance in 1986, will look to make a return under the guidance of coach Graham Arnold, who led Australia in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. New Caledonia, ranked as the lowest team in the playoffs at 149 out of 211 FIFA member countries, advanced by defeating Tahiti and subsequently losing to New Zealand in the Oceania qualifying final. Coach Johann Sidaner’s team has had limited game time since, winning against Gibraltar in a friendly last month.