Michael O'Neill believes Northern Ireland can pull off a major upset against Italy in the World Cup playoffs.

2025-11-21 04:25

The 2026 World Cup playoffs will kick off next March, with Northern Ireland, nicknamed the "Green and White Army," traveling to face Italy, nicknamed the "Azzurri." Manager Michael O'Neill stated that he believes his team has a chance to pull off an upset against the formidable Italian side.

In the final round of the European World Cup qualifiers, Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 1-0 thanks to a goal from Jamie Donley, but still failed to qualify directly for the World Cup finals.

In the final round of World Cup qualifiers, Gattuso's team, after a goal from Pio Esposito, conceded several goals in the second half and ultimately lost 1-4 to Norway. They could only finish second in their group and participate in the playoffs to compete for a place in the World Cup finals.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said, "We know that away games will be very tough, no matter who the opponent is. I think we might prefer to draw another team from the top pot, but ultimately, to qualify for the World Cup, we have to beat two very strong teams."

“Playing Italy away from home will be a big game, but it’s a great stage for us. The expectations and pressure are mostly on Italy, so we have to try to turn that into an advantage, and we have to believe in ourselves.”

Michael O'Neill also said, "I think we performed very well in this qualifying campaign, especially away from home, and hopefully that gives us confidence and makes us believe that we are capable of winning in Italy."

“For me, the most important thing is that by March next year we can field the most complete squad possible, and player availability will be a key factor. If we can do that, I believe we can achieve the desired results.”