The FIFA Women's World Cup play-off draw, held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, has mapped out the route for the Azzurre and the other 31 European nations involved as they battle for the final seven qualification spots, plus one place in the inter-confederation play-offs, for the tournament in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027.
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Italy, seeded in Path 1, will face Belarus in the first round, with the first leg away from home on 9 October and the return leg on home soil on 13 October. Should they overcome the side ranked 52nd in the FIFA World Ranking, who topped League C Group 6, Andrea Soncin's team would then face either Finland — whom they met in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Women's EURO 2025 in 2024 — or Serbia, whom they defeated home and away during the World Cup qualifying group stage.

The second-round play-off ties will be played on 1 and 5 December, with the Azzurre again set to host the return leg if they progress.

"Our goal is right in front of us and we want to achieve it with everything we have," said Soncin. "We have the utmost respect for Belarus, but we have a big dream and we're ready to continue our journey towards Brazil. We know that to get there we first need to come through this tie and then face a team we know very well, whether that is Finland or Serbia. Right now, though, our focus must be solely on our first opponents."

FIRST-ROUND PLAY-OFFS

Path 1

Lithuania v Sweden

Romania v Norway

Greece v England

Croatia v Iceland

Kazakhstan v Republic of Ireland

Kosovo v Austria

Hungary v Netherlands

Belarus v Italy

Path 2

Albania v Wales

Türkiye v Slovenia

Slovakia v Ukraine

Israel v Switzerland

Belgium v Poland

Czechia v Scotland

Northern Ireland v Portugal

Finland v Serbia

SECOND-ROUND PLAY-OFFS

Slovakia / Ukraine v Greece / England

Finland / Serbia v Belarus / ITALY

Northern Ireland / Portugal v Croatia / Iceland

Albania / Wales v Romania / Norway

Israel / Switzerland v Kosovo / Austria

Czechia / Scotland v Lithuania / Sweden

Belgium / Poland v Kazakhstan / Republic of Ireland

Türkiye / Slovenia v Hungary / Netherlands