Northern Ireland’s Path to the World Cup: A Crucial Play-off Showdown with Italy

Michael O’Neill believes that all the pressure is on Italy as they prepare for the play-off semi-final on March 26.

With Northern Ireland just two games away from potentially qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, O’Neill has urged his players to “not waste this opportunity.”

The journey to North America is fraught with challenges, starting with their match against Italy in the play-off semi-final. Should Northern Ireland manage to defeat the Azzurri, they would then face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later in a decisive final.

Italy has not qualified for a World Cup since the 2014 edition in Brazil, while Northern Ireland last participated in 1986 during the tournament hosted in Mexico, one of the three nations hosting next year’s event alongside Canada and the USA.

Despite fielding a relatively young team, O’Neill remains optimistic about their chances in the play-off. He acknowledges that their previous away defeats to Germany and Slovakia were tough but insists that their performances indicated they can surprise their opponents.

“Winning away in international football is challenging, and it is an area this team still needs to develop. However, I draw considerable encouragement from our performances against Germany and Slovakia, where we faced significant challenges without key players,” he stated.

“We remained competitive in Germany for 70 to 75 minutes and felt we were unfairly treated by the outcome in Slovakia.”

O’Neill emphasized the need to make the game as difficult as possible for Italy, who will be carrying considerable expectations into the match. “If we can elevate our performance level, who knows what can happen? We have a chance to reach the World Cup, and we must do everything we can to seize it. I will remind the players, ‘don’t waste the opportunity.’”

While Northern Ireland finished third in their qualification group behind Germany and Slovakia, their Nations League performance secured a play-off berth. Conversely, Italy has been underwhelming lately, finishing second in their group behind Norway and suffering significant losses in recent matches.

“Ideally, we would have preferred to face a different Team from Pot One, but to reach the World Cup, we must be prepared to defeat strong opponents,” O’Neill remarked. “Facing Italy away will be a monumental challenge, but the pressure is firmly on them, and we intend to use that to our advantage.”

He noted that Italy’s recent defeats to Norway indicate potential vulnerabilities, but with Gennaro Gattuso as their manager, one can expect a passionate response from their squad. “We have four months to analyze Italy closely and begin our preparations immediately.”

The thought that Italy could miss a third consecutive World Cup seems almost unfathomable, given their history of four championships. However, their failure to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia and the 2022 edition in Qatar stemmed from play-off losses.

While this may provide a glimmer of hope for Northern Ireland, O’Neill stressed the importance of focusing on their own preparations for the semi-final.
“The current Italian team is not the same as it was eight years ago. Not all their players will carry the weight of past failures in play-offs. As a nation, they bear that burden, and the expectations from their fans will be substantial. They are four-time champions and heavyweights in world football, but ultimately, our focus must remain on our performance.”