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With Northern Ireland two games away from qualification for the 2026 World Cup, manager Michael O'Neill has told his players not to "waste this opportunity".
It's certainly not a straightforward path to North America as O'Neill's side travel to Italy for their play-off semi-final on 26 March and, should they stun the Azzurri, they will then travel to either Wales of Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later for a winner-takes-all final.
Italy have not qualified for a World Cup since the 2014 edition in Brazil, with Northern Ireland absent from the big dance since 1986 when it was last held in Mexico - one of the three host nations next year alongside Canada and the USA.
Although O'Neill's side has a young age profile, the Northern Ireland manager has no fears his side can rise to the challenge in the play-off and, despite defeats away by Germany and Slovakia in the group phase, feels his side showed enough on the road to suggest they can spring the surprise.
"It's difficult to win away in international football and that is something this team still has to develop, but I take a lot of encouragement from the performances in Cologne and Slovakia where we were challenged and were missing key players in those games," he said.
"We still gave a really good account of ourselves and were in the game in Germany for 70, 75 minutes. We were in the game in Slovakia right to the end and felt a little big aggrieved by the nature of that result.
"We have to make the game as difficult as possible for Italy and it will be difficult for them with the expectation they carry into the game.
"If we can add to that with how we play the game and the level of our performance, then who knows. We have an opportunity to go to a World Cup and we have to do everything possible to try to take it. What I will say to them [players] is 'don't waste the opportunity.'"
While Northern Ireland finished third in their qualification group, their Nations League performance was enough to secure a play-off berth.
However, Italy have not exactly been riding the crest of a wave of late with Gennaro Gattuso's men finishing second in their group behind Norway who they lost to 3-0 away and then suffered a 4-1 hammering at home in their final group game.
"I suppose we would have preferred one of the other teams in Pot One, but to get to the World Cup, you're going to have to beat two good teams," O'Neill added.
"Italy away is going to be a massive game, a great game for us to be involved in. The expectation and pressure is very much on the Italians, so we will need to use that in our favour.
"I know they've lost home and away to Norway and the bulk of their squad is based in Serie A. Gattuso is their manager, so you will expect them not to be lacking in passion.
"We have four months to prepare for this and look at Italy in close detail, so the work will start today and tomorrow."
That Italy could miss out on a third straight World Cup almost defies belief, considering they have won the big prize four times in their history.
However, sport does not do sentiment and Italy's failure to reach the 2018 tournament in Russia and 2022 in Qatar both came as the result of play-off defeats.
That will add to the pressure facing the Italians this time, but O'Neill insists his team must get their own house in order for the semi-final tie.
"The Italian team of now is not going to be the Italian team of eight years ago," he countered.
"Not all their players are going to carry the burden of having been unsuccessful in play-off games. As a nation, they carry that burden and the expectation of their crowd will be that they go to a World Cup.
"They have won it four times and are one of the heavyweights of world football, but those things are out of our control and our focus will be on how we are."
