Next week could see arguably the most depressing set of fixtures in football, with losers of play-offs set to meet after seeing their World Cup dreams dashed. Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales were among eight European nations to see their hopes of featuring in their summer's tournament come to an end on Thursday in play-off semi-finals. The Republic of Ireland, rather than hosting Denmark in a final, will welcome North Macedonia to the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday. Italy will be seeking to qualify for a first World Cup since 2014 when they host Bosnia, while Sweden take on Poland. Kosovo will aim to reach a maiden World Cup when they take on Turkey, while the Czech Republic face Denmark.

Source: Daily Mail March 27, 2026 11:51 UTC