Italy, four-time World Cup champions, must win playoff matches against Northern Ireland and potentially Wales or Bosnia to qualify for the expanded 48-team tournament in North America.
Breakdown
- Italy must win playoff matches to qualify for the World Cup, starting with Northern Ireland at home.
- If Italy beats Northern Ireland, they will face either Wales or Bosnia five days later. 7s
- Italy has not qualified for the World Cup since 2014 and was pushed into playoffs after Norway topped their group. 17s
- FIFA's playoff draw in Zurich outlined Italy's qualification path. 30s
- The expanded 48-team World Cup in North America offers Italy their best chance to qualify. 35s