The draw for the World Cup play-offs took place on Thursday afternoon, with Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland finding their opponents. All three countries failed to earn automatic qualification to next summer’s tournament, so they will have to go through an additional stage. England have already qualified for the World Cup, with Scotland securing their spot with a dramatic win over Denmark earlier this week.
The playoffs will feature 16 teams, consisting of the 12 second-place teams in the qualifying group and an additional four teams that qualified in the Nations League. Eight semi-final matches will be held in March, followed by four final matches (one match for each route) to determine next year’s World Cup participants.
Wales will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the semi-finals, with the single-leg match scheduled to take place in Cardiff. They were drawn into Path A, meaning they could be on course to take on Italy in the final.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland will face the Czech Republic and could face Denmark in the Pass D final if both teams can get through the first game.
Northern Ireland had the toughest draw of the three teams, with Italy hosting them in the semi-finals. They will suffer a heavy defeat against the Azzurri, but if they advance they could face Wales in the Path A final.
The fact that both sides have been drawn into the same path means only one of Wales or Northern Ireland will qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
The expanded tournament will feature 48 teams, including a handful of countries that have never competed in a World Cup before, such as Curacao, Haiti and Cape Verde.
Confirmed lottery
path A
Italy vs Northern Ireland
Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
path B
Ukraine vs Sweden
poland vs albania
path C
Türkiye vs Romania
Slovakia vs Kosovo
path D
Denmark vs North Macedonia
Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
