ZURICH (AP) — Italy was stopped by Sweden from getting to the 2018 World Cup. It was North Macedonia in 2022 . Now it is Northern Ireland's turn.

Four-time World Cup winner Italy is back in the qualifying playoffs for a third straight time and the draw by FIFA on Thursday plots a tricky path toward ending a remarkable 12-year wait to play on soccer's biggest stage.

Italy first hosts Northern Ireland in a single elimination game on March 26 with the winner having to travel to face Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina. At stake is a place at the first 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Northern Irish shape as a similar test to North Macedonia, which resisted waves of attacks in Palermo in March 2022 before stunning Italy with a single goal in stoppage t

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