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Ranking the World Cup play-off ties by upset potential

Clodagh Kilcoyne / Reiters

The underdogs will fancy their chances.

The draw for the UEFA World Cup play-offs, held Tuesday, saw the four unseeded sides handed the opportunity to fell their more illustrious - at least by FIFA rankings - opponents, with each of the underdogs likely heading into their two-legged ties with quiet confidence.

Related - World Cup play-off draw: Italy meets Sweden, Denmark to play Ireland

Here, we rank the four matchups based on upset probability:

4. Croatia (seeded) vs. Greece (unseeded)

For the third time in a row, Greece's World Cup dreams will come down to a play-off after advancing to the 2010 and 2014 competitions via two-legged triumphs over Hungary and Ukraine, respectively.

The route this time is far more difficult for the Greeks, as they go up against a Croatian side that boasted one of the best defensive units during qualifiers, conceding just four goals in 10 matches.

3. Denmark (seeded) vs. Ireland (unseeded)

Supporters of the Republic of Ireland have been through this before, as the country gets set to compete in the play-offs for a major tournament for a record ninth time. James McClean's game-winning strike against Wales got them to this point, and there's legitimate reason to believe Martin O'Neill's men aren't finished as they attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

Denmark also failed to put on a convincing display in a group that was widely considered one of the weakest in Europe. However, the team gradually found its footing and will undoubtedly give the Irish a mighty fight with Christian Eriksen pulling the strings.

2. Switzerland (seeded) vs. Northern Ireland (unseeded)

Behind Italy, Switzerland was likely the next nation that unseeded teams hoped to avoid during Tuesday's draw. The Swiss looked well on their way to securing an automatic berth - winning the first nine games of their qualifying campaign - until European champion Portugal overtook Vladimir Petkovic's side on the final day with a head-to-head victory.

Switzerland's path to Russia, however, could be tricky against a Northern Ireland squad hopeful of reaching its second major tournament in a row. And if the Swiss look anything like the lackluster side that lost to Portugal, expect Will Grigg's name to ring out around whichever football grounds host the Green and White Army in Russia.

1. Italy (seeded) vs. Sweden (unseeded)

Italy, under the shoddy tutelage of manager Giampiero Ventura, is a mess right now. Blunt and unimaginative going forward, and lacking the defensive solidity that, for better or worse, has long been the nation's calling card, the Azzurri have looked vulnerable since Ventura took the reins.

Injuries and, primarily, questionable squad selections - which have bordered on infuriating for fans of the four-time World Cup winner - have led many to downplay Italy's chances of even reaching Russia, let alone making an impact if qualification is secured.

In Sweden, powered by the creativity of Emil Forsberg, the Azzurri will meet a side capable of filling the net; the Swedes banged in 26 goals in the group phase of qualifying, a total bettered by only five of Europe's heavyweights.

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