2026 World Cup Qualification play-offs: Semi-final previews & predictions
Ladbrokes previews UEFA's 2026 World Cup Qualification play-off semi-finals, with predictions
Wales tipped to get the better of Bosnia in Cardiff
Northern Ireland's World Cup dream expected to end in Italy
With the World Cup hopes of so many European nations on the line, Ladbrokes previews the 2026 World Cup Qualification play-off semi-finals, with predictions & live odds.
Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland are all competing for a spot in the summer's highly anticipated tournament, but with tricky semi-finals to navigate, the 2026 World Cup still seems so far away at this stage.
Below, you'll find our take on every single UEFA World Cup Qualification semi-final, ahead of next week's play-off finals.
2026 World Cup Qualification play-offs: Semi-final previews & predictions
Turkey vs Romania
Prediction: Turkey 3-1 Romania
With just one competitive defeat since November 2024, Turkey enter this semi-final as staunch favourites to progress to next week's final. The country ranked 25th in the world take on a Romania side who haven't won a game away from home in almost a year and a half, and with the visitors sitting 24 places below their hosts in the rankings, we're backing Turkey to get the job done here.
Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
Prediction: Czech Republic 2-2 Republic of Ireland
In their first competitive meeting since 2007, we're anticipating a tight, tense affair between Czech Republic and Republic of Ireland, with a hard-fought contest ending all square after 90 minutes. Ireland arrive full of confidence having beaten Portugal and Hungary in November, and they may well go on to progress - but we can't separate the sides ahead of their clash at the Fortuna Arena.
Denmark vs North Macedonia
Prediction: Denmark 3-0 North Macedonia
Denmark and North Macedonia go head-to-head in a competitive international match for the first time since 1995, and with the visitors losing 7-1 to Wales in their last outing, we don't foresee too many issues for Denmark here. Brian Riemer's hosts are heavy favourites to cruise through this semi-final, and while North Macedonia will make it difficult - evidenced by draws against Belgium and England - we're tipping the hosts.
Italy vs Northern Ireland
Prediction: Italy 3-0 Northern Ireland
The biggest mismatch of the World Cup Qualification semi-finals takes place in Bergamo, as Italy (ranked 13th) take on Northern Ireland (ranked 69th) - and we're predicting a comfortable evening for the Italians. Gennaro Gattuso's team won all but two games in their qualifying group - losing to Norway twice - and with Northern Ireland only winning one competitive away game since March 2023, Michael O'Neill's side have an almost unthinkable challenge to overcome here.
Poland vs Albania
Prediction: Poland 2-0 Albania
Without a defeat of any kind since June 2025, Poland have maintained strong form throughout the World Cup Qualification campaign, finishing second in their group - but the visit of Albania will cause some concern. Albania arrive having won five of their last six games, and were only narrowly beaten by England - but with Poland striker Robert Lewandowski on the pitch, we're backing the hosts to have the required firepower.
Slovakia vs Kosovo
Prediction: Slovakia 1-2 Kosovo
Despite sitting 35 places lower than their hosts in the world rankings, we're predicting a surprise in Bratislava, with Kosovo building on wins over Sweden and Slovenia to upset the odds. Slovakia's last outing saw them concede six to Germany, while Kosovo have only lost once since November 2024, so even though they arrive as underdogs, we're tipping Kosovo to set up a World Cup showdown against either Turkey or Romania.
Ukraine vs Sweden
Prediction: Ukraine 2-1 Sweden
Looking to reach just their second-ever World Cup, Ukraine enter this semi-final as slight underdogs despite Sweden's underwhelming qualifying campaign - but we're backing the hosts to get the job done. Sweden haven't picked up a single win since a friendly against Algeria in June 2025, and without star men Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski, the squad has struggled to compete - so we're predicting a fourth Ukraine victory in five games.
Wales vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Prediction: Wales 2-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Both Wales and Bosnia missed out on automatic qualification for the World Cup by just two points, so we're anticipating a pretty tight affair at the Cardiff City Stadium - but Ladbrokes is tipping Wales to come out on top. The Dragons tend to be strong at home, losing just one competitive game in front of their own fans since June 2023, and despite Bosnia arriving on a four-game unbeaten run, the hosts' array of attacking talent should prove too strong.
2026 World Cup Qualification play-offs: Semi-final accumulator
For those interested, you can see all of our picks for this week's UEFA World Cup Qualifiers in one large eight-fold acca below.
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All odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.
