Italy, Nov. 21 -- time World Cup champion, faces yet another daunting path to qualification after Thursday's FIFA playoff draw set up a challenging route for the Azzurri, who have missed the last two editions of the tournament.

Italy, knocked out by Sweden in 2018 and stunned by North Macedonia in 2022, will host Northern Ireland in a single-elimination semifinal on March 26. The winner will then travel to face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina for a place at the expanded 48-team World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Northern Ireland is expected to pose a test similar to North Macedonia, which survived heavy pressure in Palermo in 2022 before delivering a stoppage-time winner that eliminated Italy.

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