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While waiting for tonight’s match at San Siro, the Azzurri already have their minds on Zurich, where the draw will determine their path to the playoffs in March.
Hoping to break the spell and end the curse after two consecutive eliminations in playoffs – first at the hands of Sweden and then North Macedonia – that caused Italy to miss the last two World Cups, in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
🔍 How do the World Cup playoffs work?
The playoffs will allocate another 4 spots to Europe, in addition to the 12 group winners from the qualifying rounds.
In the fight are the 12 group runners-up plus the four best teams in the Nations League that did not qualify directly.
✅ Who qualifies directly for the 2026 World Cup?
In addition to Norway, on the verge of mathematical qualification, France and England fly directly to the World Cup.
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Watch out for Spain, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Croatia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, all willing to secure their direct ticket to America.
🔥Date and sowing of the draw
The playoff draw is scheduled for Thursday, November 20 in Zurich at 1:00 p.m.
Italy will be in first place due to qualification, along with Türkiye, Poland and Ukraine (if they stay ahead of Iceland).
The other eight runners-up will finish in the second pot (Wales, Scotland, Hungary, Czech Republic currently) or the third pot (Slovakia, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo from today), depending on the classification.
⚔️ Who could Italy face?
Among Italy’s possible rivals is Sweden, which eliminated the Azzurri coached by Ventura in 2017.
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In addition to the Scandinavians, the national team could face Wales, North Macedonia, Romania, Northern Ireland or Sweden.
📆 When and where are the playoffs played?
The calendar sets the playoffs for March 26 and 31, 2026.
Gattuso’s team would play a single-match semi-final at home against a fourth-seeded team, “repeated” among the winners of the 2024/25 Nations League.
If they advance, the Azzurri would face a second or third seed in the final.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
📸 STEFANO RELLANDINI – AFP or licensors