Italy (ranked 12th in the world) will face Northern Ailen (ranked 69) in the play-off semi-final at home. If they win, Italy will meet Wales (ranked 8: 32 or Bosnia and Herzegovina (ranked 71) away, to compete directly for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
This is a light match for the Italian team. But the "ghost" from being eliminated twice in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup play-offs makes fans of the mountain goat team unable to rest assured.
Sharing after the draw results, coach Gennaro Gattuso said he will focus on the thinking of the Italian team rather than tactics, because currently the "frastructure fragility" of the Azzurri is their biggest problem.
Marco Materazzi, who won the 2006 World Cup with Gattuso, warned that there are no easy games in international football but still believe in the quality of the Azzurri.
As usual, there have been many reactions on social media, and although Northern Ireland is ranked lowest among possible semi-finalists from Italy, some users are not very happy with the result.
According to a football statistics site, Italy has a 62.2% chance of participating in the 2026 World Cup - the highest among European teams participating in the play-off round. However, the media in the Philippines emphasizes that the home team needs to be mentally stable before they can think about further things.
In the most recent match in the qualifying round, the Thai team lost 1-4 to Norway at home, showing weakness in spirit in the second half.
According to experts, Gattuso's team will be under great pressure in the semi-final against Bac Ailen, due to the gap between the two teams. The expectation for the Italian team is very high. Meanwhile, the pressure on the final will be different, because Italy already knew it was an away match.
Meanwhile, Northern Ailen coach Michael O'Neill also admitted that it will be difficult to face the Italian team. Italy will be the toughest opponent we can face, but in the end we have to believe that we can go there and get a great result, he said.
If they pass the World Cup play-off round, it will be one of the biggest achievements in the history of Northern Ailen football. We have faith in doing that.
