Italy are drawn against North Macedonia in the semi-final and could face Portugal in the Final of the World Cup Qualifying Play-off.
The Azzurri were in the pot of seeded teams in the World Cup Qualifiers Play-off draw, which took place in Zurich today.
After finishing second in Group C, behind Switzerland, Roberto Mancini’s men must book a place at Qatar 2022 through the play-offs scheduled for March, 2022.
Italy are seeded in the draw with Portugal, Swede, Wales, Russia and Scotland, whule Poland, Turkey, Austria, Ukraine, Czech Republic and North Macedonia were in the unseeded pot.
The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four teams, where two seeded teams face two unseeded teams respectively.
The winners of the semi-finals will play in a Final to determine the three remaining spots in the World Cup next year.
Christian Karembeu, Lothar Matthaus, Tiago Mendes and Pablo Zabaleta held the play-off draw, and picked the Azzurri for the fifth semi-final.
Italy are drawn against North Macedonia in the semi-finals and will meet the winner between Portugal and Turkey in the Final.
World Cup Qualifiers Play-off draw:
Group A:
Semi-final 1: Scotland vs. Ukraine
Semi-final 2: Wales vs. Austria
Group B:
Semi-final 3: Russia vs. Poland
Semi-final 4: Sweden vs. Czech Republic
Group C:
Semi-final 5: Italy vs. North Macedonia
Semi-final 6: Portugal vs. Turkey
Thanks Jorgi
Is anyone surprised Italy and Portugal are in the same path? Saw this coming from a mile away…a Fifa special
2nd Round: Best possible outcome drawing North Macedonia.
3rd Round: Worst possible outcoming by drawing either Turkey or Portugal.
Absolute worst possible scenario for that final match. At this point I’m not even sure Portugal will get past the Turks.
Just hope that 3rd Round match is in Italia.
This was the most rigged draw I’ve ever seen
Absolutely rigged.
Winner of Potrugal and Turkey will serve as the home team.
Yes , Italy should have qualified from their group. The seeding for the playoffs is a ridiculous system however, as the 2 strongest teams have been drawn together. The fact that Scotland or Wales could get there instead of Italy or Portugal are a FIFA joke
Italia got the most difficult pass in this
It’s crazy and not fair for 4 time winner but unfortunately Mancini’s men placed them self in this crazy situation
and the worth is that if Italy passes the semi final the final is away. Crazy all what we can do now ask Italy to prepare very well and wish best of thr luck in March!!! Forza Italia
Should have qualified in the beginning, this is our own doing
Why the hell do they have to change the way play offs are played. It should be seeded team playing unseeded team, played over two legs home and away. Why don’t countries stick up to Uefa and FIFA with these pathetic mini tournaments. This means a top football nation won’t appear at the World Cup and we will have some weaker nations there, all because of luck of draw pathetic beyond words.
OMG. Just got even worse.
We were a bloody PK away from 3 Points TWICE and blew it. Now this. I am legit worried about this.
They (players, not Mancio) have themselves to blame. Not the supporters, the schedule, the officiating. From the Bulgaria match onwards have gone out there and just went through the motions.
FI, can we have 1 day of blasphemy allowed on this board?
Just believe! Forza Italia! We are better when we face the best! We can do it!
Italy would have to play on road 2nd game and regardless of it Portugal or Turkey they aint winning away from home. Good serves them right for not making it when they should have
One of Scotland, Ukraine, Wales, or Austria will make it, while either Portugal or Italy (or both) will not. It makes no sense. Turkey are no push overs while North Macedonia beat Germany only a couple months ago. This entire process does not help ensure the World Cup presents the best teams from Europe. At all. Look at what the CONCACAF teams have to go through. Italy need to beat the best teams and that doesn’t bother me. But this is not even a remotely equitable process (globally) and that does bother me.
Right now, I see our chance of qualifying to at max 30%. BUT. It is always better that we get the strongest possible opponent. Usually we wake up when our backs are against the wall. Last time vs sweden, we were too deluded and up our own backsides to realise that there was actually a chance we would lose. It was only when the final 5 minutes dawned that we began to seriously realise our predicament.
So all the talking trash done by Italians and people on this forum about Ronaldo.
Now your going to have to eat those words because I guarantee you Ronaldo was listening even though he stayed quiet.
As Italians it is better to win the Euro with respect and not gloat. Italy gloated and so did the players and so did Mancini who with arrogance never changed anything.
Now the reckoning has come
Jesus ******* Christ!!!
It’s their own fault. Shouldn’t of come to this in the first place.
It’s not rigged. Listen guys….I’m a huge soccer fan…born in Italy. Italy deserves to be in the playoffs. If they can stop thinking that they are the best and superior than every team they play, then they wouldn’t be in this position. Their mentality has to change. Instead of worrying about their hair while they play, they should concentrate in playing aggressively from the BEGINNING and not sit back after taking a lead. We have the players…it’s the italian thinking that has to change. If they can survive this playoff and qualify, perhaps they can do well in the world cup. If they don’t, then it’s time to change the approach of their game AGAIN and be at par with the likes of other world power houses.
Agree with Stefano.
Chiellini and Bonucci and Juve brass needed to seriously BE QUIET. Seems like only Andrea Agnelli said nice things at that symposium they had last month.
Yes, Juve is not Gli Azzurri but whatever it takes to feel offended and he will run with it.
Having said that, they got Turkey and under Stefan Kuntz they are no pushovers. Maybe I’ll regret these words but playing in Lisbon might be better than playing in Istanbul.
@The Queens Half Corgi
Why isn’t Mancini to blame?
He has used almost the exact same game plan and players since Spain in the Euro semifinal? Even using out of form players and injured ones.
Italy has struggled in every game since that one with the exception of Lithuania.
Every team that plays Italy knows what to expect (for many games now)
Meazza,
All that might be true but CONCACAF is not a joke when it comes to the Hex or Ocho.
Also, Italy would be in much better shape if they had Canada’s Jonathan David (more goals than Mpabbe, Messi, Di Maria combined in Ligue 1) instead of Ciruzzo.
Try going to Azteca and the thin air they have, or San Pedro Sula or -10’C Edmonton, or El Salvador with that mental crowd. All that and more when Central American teams throw batteries and bags of urine at you, after a night of fans gathering at the hotel making noise to keep you awake, and you see riot police mobilize behind the benches.
Italy have a chance to right a wrong.
Stefano,
Doing THAT showed faith in his group for suffering only 1 Loss in the last 39 or 40 matches. If he changed formazione or lineup, and still lost people would be criticizing him for that. He’s in a no-win situation. The man has tried to instill calm and belief and encouraging words of “go out and have fun” and the players still messed up.
2 PK’s missed versus Switzerland, Florenzi’s slip and Acerbi being Acerbi on the Bulgaria goal is why we are here today.
If they do meet in Lisbon it will be the equivalent of any final. Both B & C feel the need to shut him out as much as he does to score. He did jilt and flee them as the one who needs the world to revolve around him.
Istanbul is a very tough place to play in, ask Juventus ! Anyway, I wish Turkey wins against Portugal, not because they’re supposedly easier opponents but losing to Turkey would be milder to swallow than seeing that smirk on Penaldo’s face!
Didn’t FIfa ensuring Russia and Ukraine don’t play one another due to politics and border strife make this likely?
Exactly.
I know many Portuguese in the Portuguese diaspora where I am and it losing to them will be hell.
What’s the point of having world rankings? These teams should be re-seeded after the first game. What a joke that the first group winner will be at the world cup while most of the other teams will be sitting at home with a higher ranking. How can it be that both Italy and Portugal cannot make the world cup? Even the middle group, all of these teams are better than the first group.
Pop Ups
I get it: Neymar Jr’s In
What a nightmare
@Corgi
Going with a 3-5-2 against a Spain in a non important game would have been the perfect opportunity to counter Spain’s technical ability and can you imagine if it worked? We then have options!!! Win or lose no one is getting criticized.
Playing Florenzi was irresponsible from Mancini. There is no way to justify him even playing and him getting torn to shreds was expected
Anyhow it is what it is
Oh let me say also this
Not having berardi take the penalty vs Switzerland was also irresponsible
Anyhow playing
@ The Queens Half Corgi – that is my point. CONCACAF have a very difficult yet totally equitable process that ensures the best teams from North and Central America participate in the World Cup. Europe does not. If UEFA really need to short cut some competitive processes (due to number of teams and volume of games), they should short cut the first rounds with these randomizing tactics instead of the later rounds so as to at least mitigate scenarios like what has developed today. (Another example: 2014 qualifying, Sweden v Portugal playoffs. The world misses out on Zlatan and Sweden being in the WC from Europe, but Greece and Bosnia get through, even though objectively they were much weaker teams). Anyway. Italy are to blame for being in this mess. That is a distinct issue for me from the absurd format of this critical qualifying round.
No, no. I understand your POV where that is concerned. You aren’t wrong.
But I think they wanted the NL title and played to a tried and trusted formation lineup.
Now the question becomes does he tinker now and playbook goes out the window and starts new or does he stick with what he knows?
I’ve been to a Portugal message board. They aren’t liking this either.
Fernando Santos is being torn to shreds. My only worry is if they start playing Rafael Leao more.
Remember that Renato Sanches (important for what they do) and another bench player (i forget who right now but not an important player) is suspended for the Turkey match.
The loss could be huge.
Not sleeping on Turkey, but we have to admit Portugal should advance. Only wish Sanches was suspended for the 3rd Round.
As for Ronaldo wanting to shut us up, OK, perhaps. But it’s not like he hasn’t been innocent in all this.
– Seriously waiting until 3 days before the mercato to close before he left for Manchester. Nice teammate ! Who does that?
– Makes it a point to not speak Italian, even though other players that speak Portuguese and Spanish do so (he speaks both). Even though he attempted to speak English right away when he arrived to England. Just like ex-Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher. So he can speak 2 other languages besides his native one when he’s in those nations but not Italian? He’s just doing it to be sumg.
20 years ago Andriy Schevchenko was lost with the language but learned it. Ronaldo can’t? Nah, he didn’t want to.
I’ve never felt like swearing on this forum but … Meazza is right. The 6th and 7th best ranked team in the world fighting it out for a place at the WC! It’s a joke. The fallout from this will be massive when either Italy or Portugal don’t make it. They will never use this format again, believe me. The South American qualifiers guarantee Brazil and Argentina go through. There’s a reason why Brazil have made every final, because they only have to beat third world footballing nations. Top four out of ten to automatically qualify and then if you finish fifth, you play New Zealand! Hopefully, Turkey and Portugal will have a gruelling game and we can coast past N Macedonia (we should to be fair) and then pick off the remains. The other thing, we do best when we’re underdogs so it might just suit us in Lisbon – remember Brazil in 82′, Germany in 2006 and England in 2020! Forza Italia!
Correction and followup to my previous post.
Besides Renato Sanches, the other Portugal player suspended for the Turkey match is Joao Cancelo.
Both in their Starting 11.
Several Italy players too are on a yellow card when the Azzurri host NorthMacedonia in the WorldCup2022 play-offs and risk missing out on a possible Final against either Turkey or Portugal! Have to check who all …
This is absolutely pathetic and let’s be honest italy is no longer a top team . The euro win was a Greece 2004 flash in the pan. Then they talked crap about England and dyed their hair like Phil foden instead of being humble and now here we are . Bunch of bafoons
For Path C, lets not assume it will be a Portugal/Italy final.
It is probable that Italy wont score against Macedonia (because they cant seem to score against anyone these days). Could be a 0-0 draw and end up in penalty kicks in favor of Macedonia.
As for Turkey vs. Portugal, why couldn’t Turkey get the result? Portugal isn’t the team it use to be.
@Anto8Anima – that is a very valid point. Fifa did in fact indicate that the 2 sides Russia and Ukraine could not compete due to political pressures…..are you surprised though? Nothing forthcoming about Fifa including this draw!
They’re at war over Crimea.
Is this seriously an excuse for why Italy are in the blasted spareggio ?
France 90 and 94 didn’t qualify
Holland 82 and 86
England 74 and 78
Mike are you still crying about the euros? Let it go man the best team in europe were rightfully crowned champions.
Italy should’ve declared war on Portugal and Sweden before the draw.
I’m still scratching my head how two top ten nations (most recent Euro champs) might not go to
the WC, with one definitely not
going. The whole Russia/Ukraine thing hurts them. SMH. Fifa shouid have rethought things before today. The next three months will be so darn hard.
People have to lay off the Azzurri for speaking up after their victory in London. They dealt with the whole crowning of England and that song constantly playing prior to the match. Pundits calling them pretenders. And the final was played while their supporters went old school fanatic. Bonucci words were warranted 🙂
No Rico I am not crying I am not English . I am just telling it like it is sorry but truth hurts and don’t me you think this team has nah change of beating Portugal in Lisbon .
@Anto8anima…
1. Exactly correct! Italy and especially Bonucci had every right to respond which they did AFTER the Euro 20/21 final was over.
2. Italy remsined humble and professional prior to the final. Some, if not most, English supporters acted as if beating Irsly at Wembly was a foregone conclusion.
3. @Mike…every team has a chance…that’s why the game must be played. What do say about the fact that Portugal struggled against a “weaker” Germany and Belgium during the Euros.
What say you about Croatia beating Portugal, in Portgual to claim top of their qualifying group?
Macedonia got burned, is anyone surprised ?
Absolutely rigged
Serbia, but still.
And they needed the Win whereas Portugal only needed a Draw. Also, it was at the 89th Minute when Serbia scored.
Also, Portugal’s goal in the 2nd Minute versus Serbia shouldn’t have counted. Serb Defender got bowled over. The Referee in that one was none other than our very own, Daniele Orsato.
Let’s all stop complaining because we put ourselves into this situation. Tbh I dont have a good feeling about this whole thing.
Scotland could possibly be in the World-Cup and Italy OR Portugal will not be ! The only Problem with this Playoff System is that FIFA forgot to rearrange and use the Seeding again to draw the Teams again for the Final Match.