Official : Hopeful Italy go into 2026 World Cup play-offs

Italy are now officially in the play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, as they must go through the semi-final and final in March 2026 to book their place in the tournament.

The Azzurri knew going into tonight’s match against Norway that nothing short of a 9-0 victory would suffice to overturn the huge gap in their goal difference, even with a win that would put them both on 21 points.

As it turns out, they lost 4-1 and were left six points adrift at the top of the group, as Norway won all 10 matches.

Italy must now prepare for World Cup play-offs

It means they are the runners-up in Group I, so Norway go directly to the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, whereas the Nazionale must book their spot via the play-offs.

The draw will be made on Thursday November 20, with Italy as top seeds.

They will have home advantage for the semi-final on March 26, with reports that will be organised at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo.

With victory there, the Nazionale would then face a draw to see whether the final is played at home or away on March 31.

This is the stage where the Azzurri stumbled in both 2018 and 2022, missing two consecutive editions of the World Cup.