Italy and Norway played each other and the final result has given us the answer to key question: who is going to the 2026 World Cup directly and who is going to the World Cup playoffs?
The Italian side needed to win 9-0 to qualify as first of Group I, which was a tough task to start with. In the end, the game ended with a humiliating 1-4 defeat for the home side and now we know the scenarios that await both teams.
While Norway are already focused on the World Cup, Italy now turn their attention to the playoffs. Norway are back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Italy, in the meanwhile, are trying to get back to the tournament after missing the last two events.
Erling Haaland did the unthinkable
Qualifying Norway to a World Cup is no easy feat, but leave it to a generational talent from the golden generation to end the drought. With 16 goals, Haaland was the top scorer in the European qualifiers by a large margin.
Now, Haaland is the best player on the team, but Norway have plenty of talent. Alexander Sorloth joins Haaland in the front lines, making it one of the best striker duos in Europe. Antonio Nusa is also a very underrated left midfielder and for the World Cup, they will recover playmaker Martin Odegaard. They are a sleeper team for the tournament.
Italy must face their demons
The last two World Cups didn’t have Italy in it despite them being the second most winningest team in the tournament’s history. A four-time champion, Italy not only should always be in the World Cup, but also be a favorite to win it.
In 2018 and 2022, Italy went to the playoff only to see their dreams shattered by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively. Now, the Azzurra must face the very round that has marked their biggest roadblock in the last eight years.
How do the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers Playoffs work?
While all the group winners go directly to the World Cup, the 12 runner-ups, alongside the four best-ranked group winners of the 24/25 UEFA Nations League go the playoffs. Out of those 16 teams, only four go to the World Cup.
The playoffs are single-leg knockout matches determined by a draw. The teams are divided into four sets of four, so each country is two wins away from reaching the World Cup. In each set, there are played semi-finals and a final. The winner of each set goes to the World Cup. The draw will take place on November 20th and the payoffs are played in March 2026.