World Cup play-off draw live updates as Italy learn opponents

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Join us to follow the 2026 World Cup play-off draw in which Italy will learn their opponents.

It begins at 13:00 CET (12:00 GMT) at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

The Azzurri finished as runners-up in Group I behind Norway, losing two games from two against the Scandinavians.

Italy are in pot 1 in today’s draw, so they’ll play the one-legged semifinal at home. Their opponents will be picked from pot 4 with Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland and Romania.

The winner will face one of the teams that advance from the matchups involving pots 2 and 3, and today’s draw will also decide the venue for the final.

North Macedonia already eliminated the Azzurri from the World Cup qualifiers in 2022, and so did Sweden in 2018, and even Northern Ireland in 1958.

Both the play-off final and the final will be played in March 2026.

Below, you can follow live updates from the draw in Zurich.

“It’s a physical team; they never give up,” Gattuso said about Northern Ireland.

“We have to play it. I’ve been saying this for three months. We knew we had to go through the playoffs; we knew our path had to improve. We look ahead with confidence.”

Time for reactions now. More stories on the Football Italia website.

🇮🇹 Italy get Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semifinal, but the potential Final will be played away against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.#WorldCup2026 #WorldCupQualifiers

— Lorenzo Bettoni (@LoreBetto) November 20, 2025

The winner between Czechia and the Republic of Ireland will host the winner between Denmark and North Macedonia.

The winner between Slovakia and Kosovo will host the Final against Turkiye or Romania.

The winner of Ukraine v. Sweden will host the winner of Poland v. Albania.

Path A: The Winner of semifinal 2 will host the Final, so Italy will play the potential Final AWAY.

Italy vs. Northern Ireland

Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Denmark vs. North Macedonia

Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland

North Macedonia against Denmark on Path D.

Romania against Vincenzo Montella’s Turiye on Path C.

Sweden against Ukraine on Path B.

The first one will be Italy’s opponent.

Pot 4, Italy’s semifinal opponent.

The Republic of Ireland will face Czechia in the semifinal of Path D

Kosovo will meet Francesco Calzona’s Slovakia in Path C.