European champions Italy, Portugal in same World Cup play-off bracket
European champions Italy and Portugal could meet for a place at the 2022 World Cup after being drawn in the same play-off bracket on Friday.
The Azzurri and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal both finished second in their qualifying groups, behind Switzerland and Serbia respectively.
Italy will host North Macedonia in the play-off first round, with Turkey visiting Portugal, before the winners face off for a spot at next year's finals in Qatar.
The following is the draw for the 2022 World Cup European playoffs, held on Friday.
The 12 teams were split into three four-team paths -- each with its own semi-finals and final. Seeded teams were guaranteed a home game in the semi-finals.
The three winning teams from each path qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
The semi-finals are set for the European play-offs!
One team from each of the 3 paths will reach the #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/cvkFwdzQoX
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 26, 2021
Path A
Semi-final 1: Scotland v Ukraine
Semi-final 2: Wales v Austria
Path B
Semi-final 3: Russia v Poland
Semi-final 4: Sweden v Czech Republic
Path C
Semi-final 5: Italy v North Macedonia
Semi-final 6: Portugal v Turkey
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