Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will discover their play-off opponents on Thursday
Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland face challenging paths if they are to qualify for the World Cup following Tuesday night’s results.
Michael O’Neill’s men are in Pot 4 via the Nations League, while Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side will be in Pot 3.
It means Northern Ireland will face one of the Pot 1 sides away from home – Italy, Denmark, Turkey or Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Republic will go up against one of the four Pot 2 teams, also away from home, – Poland, Wales, Czechia, Slovakia.
Should Northern Ireland advance past that tie, they will then face a final against the winners of a Pot 2 versus Pot 3 semi-final, while the Republic will take on the winners of a Pot 1 v Pot 4 tie.
The home team for each of the finals will be determined by a draw, rather than seeding or ranking, reports the Irish Mirror.
The Boys in Green had been hoping to sneak into Pot 2 and secure an easier route to next summer’s finals, but this required both Austria and North Macedonia to avoid defeat.
While Austria managed a 1-1 draw at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina, it quickly became clear that North Macedonia would not be doing any favours, as they were thrashed 7-1 away to Wales.
The draw for the play-off semi-finals is set to take place on Thursday at noon in Zurich. The semi-finals will be played on March 26 and the finals on March 31.
Pot 1
Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine.
Pot 2
Poland, Wales, Czechia, Slovakia.
Pot 3
IRELAND, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo.
Pot 4.
Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, NORTHERN IRELAND.
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