TL;DR – World Cup play-off opponents
- Northern Ireland will play Italy in the semi-finals of the World Cup play-offs; Wales faces Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the Republic of Ireland will meet the Czech Republic.
- Should both Wales and Northern Ireland win their matches, they will face each other for a chance to qualify for the finals in North America.
- England and Scotland have already qualified for the tournament, with a total of 16 teams competing for the remaining European spots.
Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland find out World Cup play-off opponents
Northern Ireland have been drawn to play Italy in the semi-finals of the World Cup play-offs, while Wales face Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Ireland take on the Czech Republic.
Should Wales and Northern Ireland both win, they will play each other for a place at the finals in North America next summer after the draw was made by FIFA on Thursday
Wales would be at home for the final, but with two home nations potentially facing each other, one of the teams from the British Isles definitely won’t be there.
Northern Ireland’s Italian challenge
If the Republic of Ireland, who booked their spot in dramatic fashion thanks to a last-gasp victory over Hungary, get past the Czechs, they will take on either Denmark or North Macedonia.
Northern Ireland, who qualified through the Nations League, have the toughest task of the three – at least on paper – against the Azzurri, who have won the World Cup four times, but last qualified in 2014.
They have only beaten Italy once in 11 meetings – in 1958.
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Northern Ireland have appeared in world football’s biggest tournament three times, the last in 1986.
Wales, who ended their qualifying campaign with a thumping 7-1 victory over North Macedonia, will be trying to reach their second finals in a row and their third overall.
The Republic’s footballers last qualified in 2002, their third appearance in the finals.
