Italy will have to qualify for the knockout stage again to qualify for the World Cup.
Switzerland and Britain are heading straight for Qatar.
With a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland, Italy – the team that was crowned the European champion just four months ago – had to finish second in the European qualifying group behind Switzerland, who defeated Bulgaria with a score of 4- 4. 0.
The Italians also failed to secure a place at the 2018 World Cup and lost to Sweden in the two-leg play-off, one of the darkest moments in the Azzurri’s football history.
This time around, they will need to get through two games at a time to advance into a newly devised playoff system. The draw takes place on November 26 and Italy will play their first match at home as it will be the seeded team.
England need just one point to finish first in his table but there’s more to it – a 10-0 win over San Marino for the heaviest win in a competitive game.
Scotland will be seeded, like Italy, in the knockout stages after a 2-0 win over Group F winners Denmark, whose perfect record in the qualifying round has ended.
Poland are second in England’s group and close with a 2-1 home loss to Hungary, and are likely to have their first match in the knockout round.
