NI fans face travel and accommodation in the likes of Denmark, Italy, Turkey or a potential neutral venue across Europe if Ukraine is drawn
While the team will find out who they are playing in the draw on Thursday at noon, some fans have given us their view on their preferred opponents based on the potential implications of travel costs and accommodation.
Possible opponents include one of either Turkey, Denmark, Italy or Ukraine.
The match is set to take place on March 26 and no matter who Northern Ireland are drawn against, it will be an away game.
Fans could be traveling to Denmark, Turkey, Italy, or if Ukraine is drawn, the fixture will instead take place in a neutral country.
Copenhagen
This destination won’t be confirmed until the opponents are selected, but some fans have guessed it may take place in Poland, Hungary or even England.
In terms of price, if it is assumed fans are travelling to their opponent’s country from around March 25-27 in time for the match, England is (no surprise) the cheapest.
With direct flights from Belfast to London costing just £41 and a hotel stay costing on average £100 per night, a fixture against Ukraine could work out the most affordable and practical.
The cost of a match in Poland is similar, with direct flights from Belfast to Krakow costing £104 and a hotel stay costing roughly £80 per night.
Turkey. Stock image. Photo: Getty
For Kaitlyn McCullough from Belfast, she hopes Northern Ireland draws Ukraine and the game happens in Poland.
“Poland is a beautiful country, it’s cheap to get to and the people there love tourists,” she said.
A match in Ukraine’s other possible venues would be much more expensive for fans.
There are no direct flights from Belfast to Budapest, so fans travelling from Belfast to Hungary would need to go to Dublin airport.
A flight from Dublin to Budapest costs around £130 with a hotel stay costing an average of £100 a night.
Yet many Northern Ireland fans are still hoping for a game against Ukraine.
“In terms of a tie that I’d deem in some way “winnable” I think we would have to be hopeful of getting Ukraine, given that it would also be a neutral venue,” said superfan, Andrew Tully.
Exterior of the Colosseum in Rome. Photo: Getty
“We haven’t beaten either Italy or Turkey in my lifetime and it’ll be a tall order to change that. But the prospect of playing in a World Cup qualifier at the San Siro or Istanbul would also be quite the experience.
“Either way, we will be travelling whatever the outcome,” he added.
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A match in Istanbul would also mean a flight out of Dublin for NI fans as there are no direct flights from Belfast available around the date of the match.
A flight from Dublin to Istanbul costs £183 with an average hotel stay costing £70 a night.
Northern Ireland fan Ryan Martin said he would happily travel to any of the possible locations.
A horse and carriage carries tourists in Krakow, Poland
“I’ve never been to [Italy] . It looks beautiful, but ultimately would be a very tough game for us.” he said.
“Poland and Hungary, I’ve been to both and really love the culture of both, actually spent a few nights there, before the Slovakia game,” he added.
If the match took place in Rome fans would have to travel from Dublin, with flights costing £151 and a hotel stay costing £130 per night.
Meanwhile, if the draw leads to Northern Ireland facing Denmark, it will be an expensive trip for fans, with flights from Dublin to Copenhagen costing £127 with the average hotel stay costing around £200.