Italy endeavors to prevent its absence from a third consecutive edition of the World Cup finals tournament, as the Azzurri prepare for the play-offs.
Their initial adversaries are a Northern Ireland squad, playing away, who aspire to conclude a four-decade absence from the global football championship.
The triumphant team from this single-match encounter will then be required to prevail in a one-off final on March 31, thereby guaranteeing their participation in the championship. This event is slated to begin in June and will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Provided they advance, this outlines the teams Italy or Northern Ireland are set to encounter at the championship, alongside an overview of their prospective match schedule.
2026 World Cup qualifiers: Italy, Northern Ireland path
The victors of the semi-final round will journey to face the champions of the fixture between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina, an event concurrently scheduled for March 27 in Cardiff.
The culminating match is slated for Tuesday, March 31 (19:45 BST), with the triumphant side progressing to the World Cup.
Should the score remain level, an additional thirty minutes of extra time and a penalty shootout will be employed in these decisive play-off encounters.
World Cup 2026: Italy, Northern Ireland group, teams
The final tournament’s group allocation has already occurred, situating the successful contender from this elimination route into Group B.
Below is the composition of that group, featuring an overview of each nation’s FIFA standing prior to the decisive play-off semi-final matches.
| Country | Rank |
| Switzerland | 18 |
| Canada | 29 |
| Qatar | 56 |
Switzerland stands as the top-ranked squad, while Canada might feel an uplift from their role as joint hosts for the finals.
Qatar – under the guidance of Julen Lopetegui, erstwhile manager of Real Madrid and Spain – was the venue for the 2022 iteration.
FIFA World Cup: Italy, Northern Ireland schedule, fixtures
The successful qualifiers from this route are scheduled to initially play Canada, followed by Switzerland, and finally Qatar.
| Date | Opponents | BST | ET | PT | Venue |
| June 12 | Canada | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | BMO Field, Toronto |
| June 18 | Switzerland | 04:00* | 23:00 | 20:00 | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| June 24 | Qatar | 04:00* | 23:00 | 20:00 | Lumen Field, Seattle |
If Italy or Northern Ireland emerge victorious in their group stage at the World Cup, they will then compete against one of the top eight third-placed teams from across all twelve sections.
In the event of a second-place finish, they will encounter the second-placed squad from Group A, a group comprising Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, and a European play-off winner.
Should they progress to the elimination rounds by ranking third, they will be pitted against the champions of Group D or E. The USA, Australia, Paraguay, a European play-off winner, Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador are members of those divisions.
Examine the complete World Cup bracket.
When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup start?
The World Cup commences with an encounter between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11 (20:00 BST).
What are Italy and Northern Ireland’s World Cup prospects?
Given Italy’s 12th position in the rankings and Northern Ireland’s 69th, a disparity in anticipations would exist for either country should either nation secure advancement.
Italy’s recently appointed manager, Gennaro Gattuso, who took over from Luciano Spalletti halfway through a qualification drive where his country came in second in their group, behind Norway, was instrumental in their fourth and latest World Cup victory in 2006.
Northern Ireland advanced to the quarter-final stage in 1958 and 1982, and were eliminated in the group phase during their previous participation in 1986.
With Michael O’Neill leading for a second tenure, Northern Ireland concluded their qualification group in third position on this occasion – following group champions Germany and Slovakia, who secured second – yet they secured a place in the elimination rounds owing to their Nations League display.