Yesterday, the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place in Washington, D.C. The tournament will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Italy’s participation is still uncertain, and we’ll know for sure by the end of March, when the national team will first play a playoff, and then, if they win, a second final playoff. However, the draw already indicates the matches Italy would play if they qualify, as all Italians hope.
If Italy qualifies, their first match will be on June 12 against the hosts, Canada, at BMO Field in Toronto. Then, they’ll face Switzerland and Qatar, playing in the western United States: on June 18 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (Los Angeles) and on June 24 at Lumen Field in Seattle. It’s not a tough group. The top two teams from each of the twelve groups will advance to the knockout stage, along with the 8 best third-place finishers.
It’s too early to make predictions for the knockout stage, especially if Italy advances as a third-place team. If Italy wins the group, however, they would play in Mexico against a third-place team, then in Mexico for both the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals in Atlanta. If Italy finishes second, they would play in Los Angeles, then potentially the Round of 16 in Houston, followed by the quarterfinals in Foxborough (Massachusetts) and the semifinals in Arlington, near Dallas.
But for now, let’s focus on qualifying for the World Cup, and we’ll see what happens. Forza Azzurri!
