This is how the European playoff for the 2026 World Cup will be played
Italy must win two matches to qualify for their first World Cup since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
UEFA held the draw this Thursday for the European playoff for the 2026 World Cup, which features Italy, Denmark, Poland, Turkey, and other teams.
The European playoff will award four berths to the 2026 World Cup, along with the two teams from the international playoff.
These are the matchups for the European playoffs for the 2026 World Cup:
Italy seeks to return to a World Cup
After finishing second in the group led by Norway, the Azzurri, managed by Gennaro Gattuso, will play in the playoffs for the third consecutive time, having been eliminated in the previous two by Sweden in the 2018 World Cup playoffs in Russia, and by North Macedonia four years ago in the 2018 World Cup in Qatar.
Italy's last participation in the World Cup dates back to 2014 in Brazil.
Of the sixteen European teams competing in the playoffs, twelve qualified as runners-up in their qualifying groups, and four—Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia, and Northern Ireland—came from the Nations League.
In addition to the four remaining places for Europe, there are two places up for grabs for teams from the rest of the world.
Bolivia, Suriname, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of Congo aspire to them.