Only the group winners qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while runners-up must go through the playoff, precisely what happened to the Azzurri the last two times they tried to get a pass for the competition.

Norway currently leads Group I, putting it in position to qualify directly to the World Cup, though there's a lot of time still left to go. Italy has yet to play a Group I match.

Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway.