O’Neill Emphasizes Northern Ireland’s Opportunity Against Italy in World Cup Play-offs

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

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

The journey to North America is challenging, as they face Italy in the semi-final. A victory over the Azzurri would see Northern Ireland advance to meet either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later in a decisive final.

Italy has struggled in recent years, failing to qualify for the World Cup since the 2014 tournament in Brazil. In contrast, Northern Ireland has not participated in the World Cup since 1986, when it was last hosted in Mexico, one of the three nations hosting the tournament next year alongside Canada and the USA.

Despite fielding a relatively young team, O’Neill is confident they can rise to the occasion. He acknowledged that while they faced defeats against Germany and Slovakia during the group stage, their performances suggested they could pull off an upset.

“Winning away in international football is always a challenge, and that is an area we are still developing. However, I am encouraged by our performances in Cologne and Slovakia, where we faced challenges without some key players,” he stated.

“We held our ground in Germany for 70 to 75 minutes and remained competitive in Slovakia until the very end, feeling somewhat aggrieved by the outcome.

“We must make the game as challenging as possible for Italy, especially considering the expectations they carry. If we can bolster that pressure with our performance, anything is possible. We have a chance to reach the World Cup, and we must do everything within our power to seize it. I will tell them, ‘don’t waste the opportunity.'”

In the play-offs, Wales will host Bosnia while Northern Ireland travels to Italy.

Although Northern Ireland finished third in their qualification group behind Germany and Slovakia, their Nations League performance secured them a play-off spot.

Conversely, Italy has not been at their best, finishing second in their group behind Norway and suffering a significant 3-0 defeat away and a 4-1 loss at home in their final group match.

O’Neill remarked, “While we might have preferred a different opponent from Pot One, to qualify for the World Cup, one must defeat two strong teams. Italy away will be a massive challenge and a fantastic match for us. The expectation and pressure are heavily on the Italians, and we aim to turn that to our advantage.

“Although Italy has lost to Norway both home and away, most of their squad competes in Serie A, and with Gennaro Gattuso at the helm, their passion will be evident. We have four months to prepare and will closely analyze Italy, so our preparation starts now.”

It is hard to fathom that Italy could miss a third consecutive World Cup, especially given their four-time championship history. However, their failures to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia and the 2022 Qatar edition stemmed from play-off defeats.

While this may offer Northern Ireland some hope, O’Neill stressed that his team must focus on their own preparations for the semi-final.

“The current Italian team cannot be compared to the one from eight years ago. Not every player will feel the pressure of past play-off failures. As a nation, they carry that burden, and their fans expect them to qualify for the World Cup. They have won it four times and are considered one of the giants in world football, but these factors are beyond our control. Our focus must be solely on our own performance.”