Italy avoided the pain of a reunion with old conquerors Sweden and North Macedonia when they were paired on Thursday with Northern Ireland in March's European World Cup play-off semi-finals.

Italy was a fixture at the men's World Cup for six decades, qualifying for soccer's premier tournament without fail and winning its third and fourth titles. It established itself as one of the sport's ...

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 ...

ROME (AP) — Federico Chiesa scored two first-half goals and defending champion Italy beat North Macedonia 5-2 Friday to gain a measure of revenge and move closer to qualifying for the European ...

Italy's new cycle under Luciano Spalletti starts off in North Macedonia, where the Azzurri will face the same side that knocked out the Italian national team in the play-offs for 2022 World Cup ...

Northern Ireland and Wales could be on a potential collision course in the 2026 World Cup play-offs, though both face tough semi-final opposition. The two home nations were placed on the same pathway ...

ZURICH — 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 ...