European champions Italy missed out on automatic qualification for next year's World Cup after being held to a goalless draw by Northern Ireland on Monday.
Switzerland's win over Bulgaria means they top Group C and European champions Italy must face a play-off for a place in Qatar. The Italians needed to match Switzerland's result to qualify directly but they failed. The Swiss came through to win the group by hammering Bulgaria 4-0.
The playoffs do not hold fond memories for Italy, who failed to make the 2018 World Cup after losing to Sweden over two legs.
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