World Cup play-off: Dates and kick-off times as Italy aim to secure qualification

Both semi-finals will be played on March 26 at 20:45 CET. Football Italia will provide live updates via a live blog, but you can also follow live action through the livescore app . Oddly, if Italy fail to beat Northern Ireland, they’ll still play a second game during the March break, also on March 31, but against the loser of the Wales-Bosnia and Herzegovina game.

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND – NOVEMBER 17: Jamie Donley of Northern Ireland celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Northern Ireland and Luxembourg at Windsor Park on November 17, 2025 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) It goes without saying that the game against Northern Ireland is beyond crucial for the Azzurri. After missing out on qualification in 2018 and 2022, Italy cannot afford another fiasco, especially as one of the most successful countries in the competition, with four World Cup victories, just one behind Brazil.

Inevitably, pressure is mounting on the Azzurri , who will start preparations for the semi-final on March 23 at their training centre in Coverciano. Gattuso was hired less than a year ago to replace Luciano Spalletti and has won five of six, losing the most recent one to Norway 4-1 at San Siro. Italy legend Gigi Buffon, one of the 2006 Italy World Cup winners alongside Gattuso, had a role in the coach’s appointment as the Azzurri’s delegation chief.

PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 06: Gianluigi Buffon of Italy attends before the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A2 match between France and Italy at Parc des Princes stadium on September 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) Buffon, however, has already announced that he’ll step down from his role if the Azzurri fail to qualify for the World Cup. “I’m always the first to take responsibility for everything.