Italy will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina for a decisive one-legged playoff final on March 31 to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup. The Azzurri advanced after defeating Northern Ireland, while Bosnia beat Wales on penalties. The winners join Group B alongside Switzerland, Canada and Qatar.
Italy's national football team is set to play Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday, March 31 at 19:45 BST in the European playoff final for the 2026 World Cup. The match, hosted in Bosnia, will use 30 minutes of extra time and penalties if needed to determine the qualifier. This follows Italy's semi-final victory over visiting Northern Ireland and Bosnia's penalty shootout win against Wales in Cardiff on March 27. The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, begins on June 11 with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City at 20:00 BST. If Italy qualifies, they enter Group B with Switzerland, the top-ranked team in the group, co-host Canada and Qatar, led by manager Julen Lopetegui. Their opening fixtures would be against Canada, followed by Switzerland and Qatar. Advancing as group winners would pit them against one of the best third-placed teams; second place leads to a matchup with the runner-up from Group A, featuring Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and another European playoff winner. Gennaro Gattuso, who took over as Italy manager midway through qualifying after Luciano Spalletti—replacing him when Italy finished second behind Norway—brings experience from their 2006 World Cup triumph. Ranked 12th globally, Italy aims to end a risk of missing a third straight finals.
