Northern Ireland: Italy's First Obstacle
La Nazionale will be their opponent in the 2026 World Cup playoffs. The penultimate obstacle for The Green & White Army.
Italy's first obstacle in the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs will be Northern Ireland. Ranked 69th in the FIFA World Cup rankings, The Green & White Army enters the match against the Azzurri thanks to their success in their League C group of the 2024/25 Nations League. They finished third in their UEFA qualifying group behind Germany, securing two tough wins against Slovakia, whom they beat at home after losing away only in added time.
Their last World Cup appearance was in Mexico 1986, their third appearance overall. Their best result remains the quarterfinals at Sweden 1958, a feat difficult to replicate, but Italy certainly cannot let their guard down. Coach Michael O'Neill's team's style of play is combative, based on focus and pace, drawing on the experience of many of their players in the competitive Premier League.
Connor Bradley
His best players play there, from the most valuable Connor Bradley, Liverpool right-back (€30 million), to Justin Devenny, Crystal Palace attacking midfielder (€8 million). They balance youth and experience, with an average age of under 26.
The market value of the latest squad was €180 million, and missing were Southampton midfielder Shea Charles (€12 million) and defender Dan Ballard (€10 million) from the surprising Sunderland team.
The most commonly used formation in recent matches is the compact and well-established 3-4-2-1.
"One of the things we've been very consistent about for some time now is the system of play and what we ask the players to do," said the manager. "So, we won't be going out on the pitch and we'll radically change our approach."
Northern Ireland knows how to endure, dig in at the back (they struggle if they have to slide back too far, ed.) and exploit the physicality of their internationals to create danger, even from set pieces, lacking a designated centre-forward. They're an opponent within Italy's reach, but one to be treated with caution, so much so that their last previous meeting, with Roberto Mancini on the bench, ended goalless.
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece)
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