Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill expressed delight after learning their World Cup playoff semi-final against Italy will be held in Bergamo rather than a major Italian stadium. The match, scheduled for March 26, will take place at the New Balance Arena, home of Serie A side Atalanta, which holds nearly 25,000 fans.

The smaller venue choice reportedly aims to ease pressure on the Italian side, who last qualified for a World Cup in 2014. O'Neill noted that most of his squad regularly plays in stadiums holding between 10,000 to 30,000 fans, making Bergamo's intimate setting more suitable than intimidating venues like Milan's San Siro or Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

The winner will advance to face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina for a spot at the finals in Group B alongside co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar. O'Neill, who recently took charge at Blackburn Rovers while maintaining his Northern Ireland role, visited Atalanta's December match against Inter Milan to familiarize himself with the venue, noting it shares similarities with Northern Ireland's 19,000-capacity stadium in Belfast.