Italy has to beat Northern Ireland then Wales or Bosnia to return to the World Cup

Team Italy

Italy will first host Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifying playoff in March but then would go on the road to reach its first tournament after back-to-back failures at this stage

Italy was stopped by Sweden from getting to the 2018 World Cup. It was North Macedonia in 2022. Now it is Northern Ireland’s turn.

Four-time World Cup winner Italy is back in the qualifying playoffs for a third straight time and the draw by FIFA on Thursday plots a tricky path toward ending a remarkable 12-year wait to play on soccer’s biggest stage.

Italy first hosts Northern Ireland in a single elimination game on March 26 with the winner having to travel to face Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina. At stake is a place at the first 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Northern Irish shape as a similar test to North Macedonia, which resisted waves of attacks in Palermo in March 2022 before stunning Italy with a single goal in stoppage time.

“There will be immense pressure on Italy, they have obviously missed the last two World Cups,” Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill told The Associated Press. “We have everything to gain in this situation.”

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, whose team was beaten 4-1 by group winner Norway in Milan on Sunday, declined to speak with the AP.

Among three other European playoff brackets, Ukraine will host Sweden with the winner then at home to Poland or Albania.

Ukraine played its qualifying group home games in three different Polish cities while the country is under military invasion by Russia, and could end up hosting Poland in Poland.

First, Ukraine must get by Sweden which finished last in its qualifying group won by Switzerland but earned a playoffs place by winning a Nations League group last year.

“We are playing a proud, strong football nation,” new Sweden coach Graham Potter said of Ukraine. “Everyone wants to play for their nation. Emotion will be a part of the game that we have to manage, and manage well.”

In 2022, Ukraine won a playoff semifinal in Scotland that was postponed for more than two months because of the war, then lost the decisive qualifying game at Wales.

Kosovo’s path to a first ever World Cup as Europe’s newest soccer nation is away to Slovakia followed by hosting Turkey or Romania.

Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, was accepted as a member of UEFA and FIFA eight years later at the same time as Gibraltar.

Ireland’s reward for remarkable back-to-back wins over Portugal and Hungary — with all five goals scored by Troy Parrott — is a playoff semifinal at the Czech Republic with the winner then hosting Denmark or North Macedonia.

Denmark dropped into the playoffs after losing 4-2 to Scotland’s stunning stoppage-time rally on Tuesday that even topped Ireland’s late drama in Budapest.