Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland World Cup play-off opponents revealed
The draw, made by FIFA on Thursday, sets up the possibility of an all-home-nations showdown
Northern Ireland handed daunting World Cup play-off semi-final as Wales and Republic of Ireland discover their fates.
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Northern Ireland will face four-time champions Italy in the semi-finals of the World Cup play-offs, while Wales have been drawn against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Ireland will take on the Czech Republic.
The draw, made by FIFA on Thursday, sets up the possibility of an all-home-nations showdown. If both Wales and Northern Ireland progress, they will meet in the final for a place at next summer’s World Cup in North America.
Wales would host that match - guaranteeing at least one British Isles side will miss out.
The Republic of Ireland, who sealed their play-off spot with a dramatic stoppage-time win over Hungary, will face either Denmark or North Macedonia should they beat the Czechs.
Northern Ireland, who qualified via the Nations League, face the toughest route on paper.
The Azzurri last reached the World Cup in 2014 but remain one of football’s powerhouses, having lifted the trophy four times. Northern Ireland have beaten Italy only once in 11 attempts - back in 1958. They have appeared at the World Cup three times, most recently in 1986.
Wales head into the play-offs buoyed by a 7-1 thrashing of North Macedonia and are aiming for back-to-back World Cup appearances for the first time, and their third overall. The Republic last reached the finals in 2002, also their third.
England and Scotland have already booked their places. Scotland secured their first World Cup appearance since 1998 with a dramatic 4-2 win over Denmark in Glasgow, scoring twice late on. England qualified for an eighth successive tournament by winning every match and not conceding a single goal.
Fans hoping to travel may need to budget heavily - Sky News has reported tickets being sold for huge sums on resale platform Vivid Seats.
The play-off semi-finals take place on 26 March, with the finals on 31 March. Elsewhere, Turkey will face Romania, Slovakia play Kosovo, Sweden meet Ukraine and Poland take on Albania. Sixteen European teams are competing for four remaining spots.
The inter-confederation play-off draw was also completed. Jamaica, who narrowly missed automatic qualification to Curaçao, will play New Caledonia, with the winner meeting the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bolivia will face Suriname for the chance to play Iraq.
The 2026 World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July across 11 US venues, three in Mexico and two in Canada. A record 48 countries will compete in 104 matches.