Ireland go to Prague while Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup play-offs in March
Fans of Ireland and Northern Ireland will be travelling to Prague and Italy next March to follow their teams in the play-off round to qualify for World Cup 2026. Games take place over one away leg, before the winners play another decider for a passage to North America next summer.
Thanks to their last-minute heroics in Budapest and shock win at home to Portugal, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men were rewarded with a trip to the Czech capital, where Slavia’s ground will probably host the game.
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland were handed the toughest semi-final of them all, a challenging showdown with Italy in either Milan or Rome, the hosts desperate to avoid missing a third World Cup finals in a row.
Wales face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cardiff, the reward for victory another home tie against either Italy or Northern Ireland. Semi-finals take place on March 26. The winners then go through to the play-off finals on March 31, again decided on the night.
