The 2026 UEFA World Cup qualification playoffs will see Italy in Path A, and they will face Northern Ireland in the Path A semifinal 1.
The other semifinal in Path A is Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina. The winner of each semifinal will face off in the Path A Final next week, and the winner of the final will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Italy and Northern Ireland have reached this stage of the UEFA World Cup qualification after finishing second in their respective UEFA World Cup qualifier groups.
Italy is under the most pressure of any national team at this stage since they missed the last two World Cups. Italy's last appearance in a World Cup was in 2014.
In their previous World Cup qualifier match, Italy lost 1-4 to Norway at the San Siro, which confirmed them to finish second and play in this stage of the World Cup qualifier playoffs.
Photo by Alessandro Sabattini - FIGC/FIGC via Getty Images
Northern Ireland finished third in Group A of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers in a group with Germany, Slovakia, and Luxembourg.
Unlike other teams in these UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs, Northern Ireland did not finish seocnd but are in the playoffs due to their 2024–25 UEFA Nations League rankings. In their previous match, Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 1-0 with a goal from Jamie Donley.
Official Lineups for Italy and Northern Ireland
Italy
- Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
- Defenders: Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, Gianluca Mancini
- Midfielders: Federico Dimarco, Sandro Tonali, Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Barella, Matteo Politano
- Forwards: Mateo Retegui, Moise Kean
Northern Ireland
- Goalkeeper: Pierce Charles
- Defenders: Trai Hume, Paddy McNair, Ruairi McConville
- Midfielders: Brodie Spencer, Justin Devenny, Shea Charles, Ethan Galbraith, Terry Devlin
- Forwards: Isaac Price, Jamie Donley
Where to Watch Italy vs Northern Ireland
Italy vs Northern Ireland will kick off at 3:45 p.m. ET/ 12:45 p.m. PT in the United States. The match will kick off at 8:45 p.m. local time at New Balance Arena in Bergamo, Italy.
The match will be available to watch in the United States and in other countries through select TV channels and streaming services.
- ViX Premium/Prime Video (USA)
- BBC One NI, BBC Three (UK)
- Rai 1 (Italy)
