Ghosts of North Macedonia haunt Italy with refereeing selection for Bosnia play-off
Ghosts of North Macedonia haunt Italy with refereeing selection for Bosnia play-off In a worryingly bad omen for the Italy national team, the same referee that took charge of the infamous 2022 World Cup play-off semi-final defeat against North Macedonia will be tasked with officiating Tuesday’s play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Why is the refereeing appointment for Bosnia play-off not a good sign for Italy? Clement Turpin has been chosen as the referee for Italy’s play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which kicks off at 19.
45 BST on Tuesday evening. Turpin will be joined by assistants Nicolas Dagos and Benjamin Pages and fourth official Jose Maria Sanchez from Spain. Jerom Brisard and Willy Delajod will be the Video Assistant Referees.
Alarmingly for the Azzurri, Turpin was also chosen as the referee for the infamous 1-0 loss against North Macedonia in the 2022 World Cup play-off semi-final, which cost Roberto Mancini and his players, who were the reigning European champions at the time, a spot at the final tournament later that year. That game ended in heartbreak for Italy, as former Palermo striker Alesandar Trajkovski netted in the 92nd minute to prevent the Azzurri from qualifying for the World Cup for the second cycle in a row. PALERMO – MARCH 24: Domenico Berardi of Italy looks dejected during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier knockout round play-off match between Italy and North Macedonia at Renzo Barbera Stadium in Palermo.
(Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images) Italy have not qualified for the final World Cup tournament for 12 years now, dating back to the 2014 tournament in Brazil. They have not featured in a knock-out game at the World Cup in 20 years, since beating France in the final to claim the trophy back in 2006.
This time around, Gennaro Gattuso and his squad will have to travel to a currently frozen-over Zenica to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina for a spot at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. BERGAMO – MARCH 26: Gennaro Gattuso of Italy looks on prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Italy and Northern Ireland at Stadio di Bergamo on March 26, 2026 in Bergamo. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The Nazional finished second behind Norway in their World Cup qualifying group, which condemned them to the play-offs for the third tournament cycle in a row.