Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has told his players that they must "seize the opportunity" to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. With just two games left in the play-off semi-final, Northern Ireland face a daunting task against Italy at home on March 26. If they can secure a win, they will travel to either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later for a winner-takes-all final.
O'Neill's team has been inconsistent in their qualifying campaign, finishing third behind Germany and Slovakia in the group stage. However, Northern Ireland's Nations League performances have earned them a play-off spot. Italy, on the other hand, have struggled of late, failing to win any of their last two games in qualifying and finishing second in their group behind Norway.
O'Neill acknowledges that Italy are a formidable team, but believes that his players can use the pressure and expectation surrounding the Italian side to their advantage. "Italy away is going to be a massive game, a great game for us to be involved in," he said. "The expectation and pressure is very much on the Italians, so we will need to use that in our favour."
While O'Neill's team has shown some promise, particularly on the road, they still have work to do if they are to overcome Italy and reach the World Cup. The Northern Ireland boss knows that his team must get their own house in order before facing the Italian giants, but he remains optimistic about his team's chances.
"We have four months to prepare for this and look at Italy in close detail, so the work will start today and tomorrow," O'Neill said. "That Italy could miss out on a third straight World Cup almost defies belief, considering they have won the competition four times in their history."
Despite the daunting task ahead of them, O'Neill is confident that his team can rise to the challenge and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. As he told his players, "Don't waste this opportunity."
O'Neill's team has been inconsistent in their qualifying campaign, finishing third behind Germany and Slovakia in the group stage. However, Northern Ireland's Nations League performances have earned them a play-off spot. Italy, on the other hand, have struggled of late, failing to win any of their last two games in qualifying and finishing second in their group behind Norway.
O'Neill acknowledges that Italy are a formidable team, but believes that his players can use the pressure and expectation surrounding the Italian side to their advantage. "Italy away is going to be a massive game, a great game for us to be involved in," he said. "The expectation and pressure is very much on the Italians, so we will need to use that in our favour."
While O'Neill's team has shown some promise, particularly on the road, they still have work to do if they are to overcome Italy and reach the World Cup. The Northern Ireland boss knows that his team must get their own house in order before facing the Italian giants, but he remains optimistic about his team's chances.
"We have four months to prepare for this and look at Italy in close detail, so the work will start today and tomorrow," O'Neill said. "That Italy could miss out on a third straight World Cup almost defies belief, considering they have won the competition four times in their history."
Despite the daunting task ahead of them, O'Neill is confident that his team can rise to the challenge and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. As he told his players, "Don't waste this opportunity."
I think NI has a good chance if they play smart and use Italy's pressure against them... O'Neill is right, it's almost like an expectation trap for Italy - can't win without winning 
but at the same time, NI needs to step up their game too. They've been inconsistent, which is super worrying coming into this big match. What if they take out the pressure and just enjoy the moment though? Maybe O'Neill's right to say "don't waste this opportunity" 
I mean, come on, Northern Ireland gotta believe in themselves here! They've been inconsistent, but they're in the play-off semi-final, which is already a massive achievement 
. O'Neill's got a point about Italy being under pressure, so if NI can use that to their advantage, maybe they can pull off an upset 
, but NI's gotta give it a shot 
. Can't say I've got the faith in them yet, but O'Neill seems pretty optimistic, so fingers crossed for 'em! 
The pressure is on Italy but O'Neill thinks they can use that against them? Genius! 
Italy has been struggling lately, especially in qualifying, so this could be a huge opportunity for Northern Ireland. 
If they can just win that game and make it to the final, they'll have a 50% chance of making it to the World Cup 
. This is going to be so intense! 
.
. They've got the talent and the know-how to make it happen 
what's crazy is that if they win, they get to play either wales or bosnia & herzegovina 5 days later for the winner takes all 
but they gotta get their own house in order first 
also, I'm not buying O'Neill's "we'll use their pressure against them" thing... sounds like a classic cop-out 
. I need to dig deeper into this one 
They need 2 win against Italy on March 26 & then face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 days later. O'Neill thinks his team can use the pressure on Italy to their advantage 
. Italy's been struggling lately, so this could b a game-changer for Northern Ireland! 
. Still, I'm hyped 4 them & O'Neill's optimism is infectious 
and i think he's right, italian fans are gonna be super stressed out playing at home on march 26 
it's like a massive game for both teams, and northern ireland might just be able to sneak in a win if they can get their act together 
they've been inconsistent in qualifying but Nations League performances have earned them a play-off spot... it's like they're given a second chance 
. Italy's got the experience and talent to take it down 
... they've been inconsistent in qualifing, finishing third behind germany and slovakia... it's gonna be tough to take down a strong team like italy 
. still, four months is a long time... can they really get their house in order? 
