Two matches stand between them and redemption
En los márgenes del fútbol europeo, donde los sueños de clasificación se sostienen por un hilo, dieciséis naciones se enfrentan esta semana a una verdad sin matices: solo cuatro avanzarán al Mundial 2026. Entre ellas, Italia —bicampeona del mundo— carga el peso de doce años de ausencia y la urgencia de un pueblo que no olvida lo que significa pertenecer al escenario más grande del deporte. El repechaje, esa segunda oportunidad que la historia concede con parsimonia, comienza el jueves 26 de marzo y concluirá el 31, dejando a doce selecciones con las manos vacías.
- Italia lleva doce años sin pisar un Mundial, y una tercera ausencia consecutiva sería la más dolorosa de su historia reciente.
- Dieciséis equipos compiten en cuatro llaves de eliminación directa: perder una sola vez significa quedar fuera sin posibilidad de redención.
- Los partidos de semifinales se juegan el 26 de marzo y las finales el 31, con horarios escalonados para audiencias en América Latina, Europa y Estados Unidos.
- La cobertura televisiva está fragmentada por región: ESPN y Disney+ en Sudamérica, TUDN y ViX en México, DAZN en España, garantizando que el drama llegue a todos los rincones.
- Cuatro boletos al Mundial de Norteamérica están en juego; el resto de las selecciones cerrará su campaña con una derrota sin consuelo.
Italia tendrá una segunda oportunidad esta semana. Tras quedar eliminada del último Mundial —una sequía de doce años que todavía duele— los italianos se suman a las dieciséis naciones europeas que disputarán un torneo de repechaje con inicio el jueves 26 de marzo. Solo cuatro plazas quedan disponibles para el Mundial 2026 en Norteamérica. Cuatro selecciones las conquistarán. Las demás regresan a casa.
Italia terminó segunda en su grupo de clasificación, detrás de Noruega, que obtuvo el pase directo. Ese segundo lugar las arrojó a este repechaje, donde necesitan ganar dos partidos consecutivos para volver al escenario mundialista. La estructura es simple e implacable: cuatro llaves con cuatro equipos cada una, semifinales el 26 de marzo y finales el 31, todo en formato de eliminación directa. No hay repesca, no hay consuelo. Se avanza o se termina.
Los partidos se disputarán en distintas ciudades europeas, con horarios que varían según el continente del espectador. En Perú, la mayoría de los encuentros comienzan a las 2:45 p.m.; en México, a la 1:45 p.m.; en Argentina y Brasil, a las 4:45 p.m.; en España, a las 8:45 p.m. La transmisión también depende de la ubicación: ESPN y Disney+ cubren Sudamérica, TUDN y ViX atienden a México y Estados Unidos, y DAZN transmite en España.
Para Italia, lo que está en juego va más allá de un torneo. El país ha ganado el Mundial dos veces, la última en 2006. Faltar en 2018 fue un golpe. Faltar en 2022 fue una humillación. Una tercera ausencia consecutiva sería sin precedentes para una nación de semejante historia. Dos partidos separan a los italianos de la redención —o de un nuevo y prolongado silencio.
Italy will get a second chance this week. After missing the last World Cup entirely—a 12-year drought that still stings—the Italians are among 16 European nations competing in a playoff tournament that begins Thursday, March 26, with everything on the line. Four spots remain available for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Four nations will claim them. The rest go home.
The Italians finished second in their qualifying group, behind Norway, which earned automatic passage to the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. That second-place finish dropped them into this repechage—a word that means second chance, a last-ditch effort to salvage a campaign that fell just short. Italy needs to win twice, on consecutive dates, to make it back to the World Cup stage.
The structure is straightforward and unforgiving. Sixteen teams have been divided into four separate paths, each containing four nations. Within each path, two semifinal matches will be played on March 26. The winners advance to finals on March 31, also played as single matches. The four path winners earn their tickets to the World Cup. Everyone else is eliminated. There is no third-place match, no consolation round. You either advance or you don't.
Matches will be scattered across European cities throughout the week. Most games kick off at 2:45 p.m. Peru time on Thursday, though the Turkey-Romania fixture starts earlier, at noon. The timing varies significantly depending on where you are watching from. In Mexico, the matches begin at 1:45 p.m. In Argentina and Brazil, they start at 4:45 p.m. Spanish viewers will see them at 8:45 p.m. local time. The tournament has been designed to accommodate viewers across multiple continents, which means the scheduling is a patchwork of different start times.
Broadcast coverage follows similar geographic logic. In Peru and across South America, ESPN and Disney+ will carry all the matches. Viewers in Mexico can watch on TUDN or ViX. In the United States, ViX, Univision, and TUDN USA have the rights. Spain's DAZN will show the games there. The infrastructure is in place for anyone who wants to follow the tournament to do so, though the specific channel depends entirely on your location.
For Italy, the stakes are particularly acute. The country has won the World Cup twice, most recently in 2006. Missing 2018 was shocking. Missing 2022 was humbling. A third consecutive absence would represent an unprecedented drought for a nation with such pedigree. This playoff is their lifeline. Two matches stand between them and redemption, or between them and a third World Cup without their presence. The tournament begins in less than 48 hours.
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Italy's absence matter so much? They're a strong team, but plenty of nations miss the World Cup.
Italy isn't plenty of nations. They won it in 2006. Missing one World Cup was shocking. Missing two was a crisis. A third would be unthinkable for a country that sees itself as a football power.
So this playoff is do-or-die for them specifically?
Completely. They finished second in their group, which is why they're here at all. But there's no margin for error now. Two matches, both must be won. One loss and they're out.
And the format—four paths, single-elimination—that seems designed to be brutal.
It is. Sixteen teams, four spots. The math is simple. You win your path or you go home. No second chances within the path itself.
How many people will actually watch this across the different regions?
That's the interesting question. The broadcast rights are fragmented—ESPN in South America, TUDN in Mexico, DAZN in Spain. It's not one global event. It's multiple regional events happening simultaneously. The audience will be split across platforms and time zones.