Italy, ready for the World Cup playoffs
Italy finished second in Group I of the UEFA World Cup qualification. La Nazionale finished with 18 points in eight games, six wins and two losses, both against Norway.
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Meanwhile, Norway kept their 100% winning record in World Cup qualifying intact thanks to their 4-1 victory at the San Siro on Sunday night, scoring a whopping 37 goals in their eight qualifying matches.
MILAN – NOVEMBER 16: Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Italy and Norway at San Siro Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Milan. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
This means that Norway has qualified directly for the World Cup in the summer of 2026, while Italy has had to settle for a place in the play-offs.
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The play-off draw will take place on Thursday afternoon at 12:00 GMT (13:00 CET). The semi-finals will be played on March 26 and the final on March 30.
How Gattuso plans to prepare Italy for the World Cup play-off campaign
There has been much discussion in recent weeks about how Italy can best prepare for the World Cup playoffs, given that they will only have one or two training sessions at the start of the March international break before taking part in the semi-final.
BERGAMO – SEPTEMBER 5: Coach Gennaro Gattuso watches before the national anthems before the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Italy and Estonia at the Stadio di Bergamo on September 5, 2025 in Bergamo. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)
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Despite suggestions, Serie A matches are unlikely to be postponed to give the Azzurri more time to prepare for the play-offs, according to several outlets.
However, according to Corriere dello Sport, there remains a possibility of the Italian team reuniting in the new year to perhaps hold an extra training session or two before the play-offs in March.
Early February is a likely date if this minicamp goes ahead.
Meanwhile, Gattuso is expected to spend the next few months watching as many Italian players as possible.
According to TMW, Gattuso will attend about 15 different matches between now and mid-January, including a trip to Saudi Arabia to watch Inter, Milan, Napoli and Bologna in the Italian Super Cup.