Italy is set to face Northern Ireland in a crucial World Cup qualifying playoff in March, with the winner having to travel to secure a spot in the tournament. After failing to qualify for the past two World Cups, Italy’s journey to the finals will be through a playoff match against Northern Ireland, with the victor then facing either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina. The ultimate goal is to secure a place in the upcoming 48-team finals tournament in North America.
Having last participated in the World Cup in 2014, Italy secured its playoff spot by finishing as the runner-up in a qualifying group topped by Norway. In another playoff scenario, Ukraine will take on Sweden, with the winner progressing to face either Poland or Albania at home.
Kosovo, aiming for their debut World Cup appearance as Europe’s newest footballing nation, will start their playoff campaign by playing Slovakia away, followed by a home fixture against Turkey or Romania.
Ireland, following impressive victories over Portugal and Hungary, will face the Czech Republic in the playoff semifinals, with the winner earning the right to host either Denmark or North Macedonia in the next round.
FIFA has also announced the draw for the intercontinental playoffs involving six nations outside of Europe. Iraq, a seeded team in the draw, will need to overcome either Bolivia or Suriname in a decisive one-game playoff to secure a place in the finals tournament hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Congo, the other seeded team in the intercontinental playoffs, 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 Guadalajara and Monterrey hosting the games.
The six victorious teams from the intercontinental playoffs in March will complete the lineup of 48 nations for the World Cup. The qualifying groups and playoff matches on four continents have finalized the participation of the other 42 teams.
The World Cup draw is scheduled for December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where the six remaining playoff teams will be drawn as placeholders. These teams are expected to come from the lowest-ranked pot in the seeded draw.
Iraq secured their spot in the global playoffs with a dramatic penalty in the 17th minute of stoppage time against the United Arab Emirates, sealing a 3-2 victory in the two-leg Asian playoff. Iraq, which made its only World Cup appearance in 1986, will aim to qualify for the upcoming tournament under coach Graham Arnold, who previously guided Australia to the round of 16 in the 2022 World Cup.
New Caledonia, ranked the lowest at 149 among FIFA member countries, advanced to the playoffs by defeating Tahiti 3-0 before losing to New Zealand in the Oceania qualifying final. Coach Johann Sidaner’s team, having played just one friendly match against Gibraltar recently, is now gearing up for the playoff challenge.