World Cup 2026 playoff draw: Italy draws Northern Ireland

It will be Italy-Northern Ireland in the semifinals of the European teams playoff to enter the 2026 World Cup. The Azzurri, drawn in the ‘Path A’ will take on the green-and-whites next March 26 at home. In case of success, however, the national team will play for an away pass to the World Cup with one between Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina on March 31.

World Cup 2026 playoff draw:
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PATH A
ITALY vs NORTHERN IRELAND – Semifinal 1
WALES vs BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Semifinal 2
Final: Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina-Italy/Northern Ireland

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PATH B
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UKRAINE vs SWEDEN – Semi-final 3
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POLAND vs ALBANIA – Semi-final 4
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Final: Ucrain/Sweden-Poland/Albania

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PATH C
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TURKEY vs ROMANIA – Semi-final 5
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SLOVAKIA vs KOSOVO – Semi-final 6
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo-Turkey/Romania

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PATH D
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DENMARK vs NORTHERN MACEDONIA – Semi-final 7
CZECH REPUBLIC vs IRELAND – Semi-final 8
Final: Czech Republic/Ireland-Denmark/Northern Macedonia

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