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Italy vs Northern Ireland World Cup Qualifier Lineups, Live Streams, How & Where to Watch In the USA

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Mar 26, 2026 10:57 AM ET

The 2026 UEFA World Cup qualification playoffs will see Italy in Path A, and they will face Northern Ireland in the Path A semifinal 1.

The other semifinal in Path A is Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina. The winner of each semifinal will face off in the Path A Final next week, and the winner of the final will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Italy and Northern Ireland have reached this stage of the UEFA World Cup qualification after finishing second in their respective UEFA World Cup qualifier groups.

Italy is under the most pressure of any national team at this stage since they missed the last two World Cups. Italy's last appearance in a World Cup was in 2014.

In their previous World Cup qualifier match, Italy lost 1-4 to Norway at the San Siro, which confirmed them to finish second and play in this stage of the World Cup qualifier playoffs.

Manuel Locatelli of Italy shows his dejection during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Norway at San Siro Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini - FIGC/FIGC via Getty Images)Photo by Alessandro Sabattini - FIGC/FIGC via Getty Images

Northern Ireland finished third in Group A of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers in a group with Germany, Slovakia, and Luxembourg.

Unlike other teams in these UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs, Northern Ireland did not finish seocnd but are in the playoffs due to their 2024–25 UEFA Nations League rankings. In their previous match, Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 1-0 with a goal from Jamie Donley.

Expected Lineups for Italy and Northern Ireland

Italy

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Defenders: Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, Gianluca Mancini
Midfielders: Federico Dimarco, Sandro Tonali, Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Barella, Matteo Politano
Forwards: Mateo Retegui, Moise Kean

Northern Ireland

Goalkeeper: Pierce Charles
Defenders: Trai Hume, Ciaron Brown, Paddy McNair, Ruairi McConville, Terry Devlin
Midfielders: Justin Devenny, Alistair McCann, Shea Charles, Ethan Galbraith
Forwards: Isaac Price

Where to Watch Italy vs Northern Ireland

Italy vs Northern Ireland will kick off at 3:45 p.m. ET/ 12:45 p.m. PT in the United States. The match will kick off at 8:45 p.m. local time at New Balance Arena in Bergamo, Italy.

The match will be available to watch in the United States and in other countries through select TV channels and streaming services.