03/26/26 04:13:00
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03/26 04:12 CDT Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup playoffs aiming to
avoid third straight failure
Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup playoffs aiming to avoid third
straight failure
By The Associated Press
Four-time champion Italy hosts Northern Ireland in the standout semifinal of
the World Cup playoffs in Europe on Thursday.
The Azzurri are under pressure to avoid failing to qualify for soccer's biggest
event for a third consecutive time after being eliminated by Sweden in 2017 and
North Macedonia in 2022.
In all, 16 teams are competing for four spots at the World Cup in North America.
Eight one-off semifinals are followed by four finals next week. The winners of
the finals secure qualification.
Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania.
Path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo.
Path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs. Ireland
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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