Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup playoffs aiming to avoid third straight failure

Four-time champion Italy hosts Northern Ireland in the standout semifinal of the World Cup playoffs in Europe on Thursday.

The Azzurri are under pressure to avoid failing to qualify for soccer’s biggest event for a third consecutive time after being eliminated by Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2022.

In all, 16 teams are competing for four spots at the World Cup in North America.

Eight one-off semifinals are followed by four finals next week. The winners of the finals secure qualification.

Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania.

Path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo.