World Cup, venue for Italy's playoff semifinal decided

Six months after Gennaro Gattuso&#8217s debut as coach, a 5-0 victory over Estonia, Bergamo will return to host the national team for the World Cup playoff semifinal that will pit the Azzurri against Northern Ireland on Thursday, March 26, 8:45 p.m.

In Bergamo, Italy is undefeated: four previous matches, with two 5-0 victories (the one mentioned with Estonia and the other in the first match with Malta played in January 1987) and two 1-1 draws (in the friendly with Turkey in November 2006 and in the Nations League match with the Netherlands in October 2020).

There are 11 previous meetings with Northern Ireland, with a tally of seven wins for the Azzurri, three draws and only one defeat, the 2-1 loss that cost the national team a miss in the Swedish World Cup on Jan. 15, 1958 in Belfast.

The most recent confrontation between the two national teams was also played in Belfast, the 0-0 draw in the last World Cup qualifying match in Qatar 2022 that forced the Azzurri into the playoffs.