Italy vs Northern Ireland prediction 26.03.2026 | World Cup qualifications

Italy lifted the World Cup title four times, but they shockingly missed the previous two tournaments. In the upcoming days, enormous pressure will be on the head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, and his players, as any defeat will be a huge disappointment. Italy ended the group phase of the qualifications with six wins, but also with two defeats against the perfect Norway. In the most recent outing, they lost 4-1 to Norway at San Siro. Azzurri even had the lead at halftime, but the guests' outstanding second half left the hosts empty-handed.

Italy's head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, admitted that they are nervous ahead of the deciding qualification matches. He said, "It's undeniable that there's nervousness. Only someone without blood running through their veins wouldn't feel it. But we need to do a good job of transmitting a lot of positivity."

Italy have some problems with injuries. Federico Chiesa has already left the team's camp, while Gianluca Scamacca, Alessandro Bastoni, Gianluca Mancini, Sandro Tonali, and Riccardo Calafiori are questionable for Thursday's game.

Northern Ireland have not appeared at the World Cup since 1986. In the group phase of the qualifications, they finished third but will get a chance in the playoffs via the Nations League. However, Northern Ireland's recent form and only two victories in the last five matches don't provide a lot of confidence that they can win in Italy and after that against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the previous game, Northern Ireland won 1-0 at home against Luxembourg.

Northern Ireland's manager, Michael O'Neill, is realistic that Italy are a big favorite on Thursday night, but he still expects a lot from his team. O'Neill commented, "We're going to have to step up. If you look at our squad, there are 13 players in the Championship. There are four at Premier League clubs, and the rest are in League One or playing their football elsewhere. So, it is a big step up for us. But it's a step up we've made in the past. I think we made it in the Germany game, albeit we didn't get the results that we felt we maybe could have done. We have to try and make that step up again."

Northern Ireland will be without Liverpool's Conor Bradley, but also Sunderland's defender Dan Ballard. Both players are huge misses, and it is a big problem with Michael O'Neill.