Who Italy could face in 2026 World Cup play-off semi-finals

Italy have confirmed their place in the World Cup play-offs following Sunday evening’s 4-1 defeat against Norway in San Siro, but who could the Azzurri come up against when the deciders roll around in March? 

Italy finished second in qualification group I on 18 points from eight matches, winning six and losing twice, against Norway on both occasions. Erling Haaland and his compatriots topped the group with a 100% win record, which has sent them through directly to the final tournament in the summer. 

The Azzurri, who had led 1-0 through Pio Esposito on Sunday evening, collapsed in the second half, conceding four times for an eventual 4-1 defeat to close off the first part of the qualifying campaign. 

Gennaro Gattuso and his players will now have to wait until Thursday, March 20, to discover who they will face in the World Cup play-offs. The draw is scheduled to commence at 12.00 GMT (13.00 CET) on Thursday. 

Italy are one of the top seeds in the World Cup play-off draw, which means they will go up against one of the teams in Pot D, i.e. the lowest-ranking nations in the draw. 

The Azzurri have five potential World Cup play-off opponents heading into Thursday’s draw. 

Those nations are Sweden, Romania, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia or Wales.