Italy Drawn Against Northern Ireland in 2026 World Cup Playoff Semi-final
BELFAST – Italy will face Northern Ireland in a high-stakes semi-final playoff match on March 26th,as the path to the 2026 World Cup becomes clearer following today’s draw. The winner will then face either Wales or Bosnia in a subsequent away final, continuing a challenging route for the Azzurri.
The draw evokes memories for Italian football fans, recalling Northern Ireland’s shock 1958 World Cup qualification at Italy’s expense – a group stage victory in Belfast denying the Azzurri a place in Sweden. More recently, a 0-0 draw in Belfast in 2021 contributed to Italy’s need to enter the playoff system.
Currently, most of the Northern Ireland squad play in England, with five players featuring in the Premier League, including Liverpool’s Conor Bradley.
wales,who reached the last World Cup,boast ten Premier League players in their ranks,led by Neco Williams of Forest and johnson of tottenham. Fulham’s Wilson, with five goals during qualification, was their top scorer. Former Italian league players Ampadu (ex-Spezia and Venezia) and Ramsey are also key figures.
Bosnia, seeking to recapture the form that saw them qualify for Brazil 2014, still relies on veteran Edin Dzeko (72 international goals) and Atalanta’s Kolasinac, though the latter is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear. Stuttgart’s Demirovic is also nearing full fitness. Several players with ties to Italian clubs are in the Bosnian squad, including Muharemovic of sassuolo, Hadzikadunic of Sampdoria, and Tahirovic, a product of the roma youth system now at Ajax.
“It depends only on us,” echoed the approach of coach Gattuso, who stated, “Test only Ireland, then if it goes well, we will also think about the others and the possible away final, on pitches that can put any team in difficulty. Ireland is within our reach,they are very strong physically. We will have to play a great match, but we will play it.”
Failure to win this playoff route would mean watching the 2026 World Cup from home, a scenario many Italian fans believe would be a deserved outcome given recent performances.
