Italy have named a 28-man squad for their UEFA play-off matches as the Azzurri bid to avoid missing out on a third successive FIFA World Cup™.
Head coach Gennaro Gattuso’s men will take on Northern Ireland on 26 March in Bergamo in the Path A semi-final, with a trip to either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina awaiting on 31 March, should they progress. The winners of that Path A final will qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Federico Chiesa’s presence has caught the eye. After being a key player at UEFA Euro 2020, which was played in 2021, he was hampered by injury problems. His last appearance for his country came during UEFA Euro 2024, but his confidence and sharpness look to have been restored with more regular outings for Liverpool this season.
Young wing-back Marco Palestra has impressed at Cagliari with his power and ability with both feet. First call-ups have also arrived for Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini and Roma midfielder Niccolo Pisilli.
After initially opting for a four-man defence, the form of Federico Dimarco, Riccardo Calafiori, and Sandro Tonali means Gattuso is more likely to opt for a 3-5-2 system. The inclusion of Mateo Retegui, Moise Kean and Francesco Pio Esposito increases the likelihood of a two-striker formation, with Chiesa potentially playing as a second striker.
Italy squad
Goalkeepers
Elia Caprile (Cagliari)
Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City)
Alex Meret (Napoli)
Defenders
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter)
Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli)
Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal)
Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus)
Diego Coppola (Paris FC)
Federico Dimarco (Inter)
Federico Gatti (Juventus)
Gianluca Mancini (Roma)
Marco Palestra (Cagliari)
Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)
Leonardo Spinazzola (Napoli)
Midfielders
Nicolo Barella (Inter)
Bryan Cristante (Roma)
Davide Frattesi (Inter)
Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)
Nicolo Pisilli (Roma)
Sandro Tonali (Newcastle)
Forwards
Federico Chiesa (Liverpool)
Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter)
Moise Kean (Fiorentina)
Matteo Politano (Napoli)
Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta)
Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah)
Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)
Italy’s World Cup absence
Italy’s last World Cup match was at Brazil 2014 against Uruguay, which for a national team that has won the FIFA World Cup four times and participated in 18 editions, marks a lengthy absence.
In the qualifying phase for the two following editions, the Azzurri were eliminated in the play-offs both times: in November 2017, Sweden broke Italy’s hearts with a 1-0 win in the first leg and a 0-0 draw at San Siro. In the qualifiers for Qatar 2022, Italy failed at the first hurdle, losing to North Macedonia in Path C thanks to a last-gasp goal from Aleksandar Trajkovski.
What awaits in North America
Should Italy qualify, they will be placed in Group B alongside co-hosts Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland. Their potential debut would be against Canada on 12 June at Toronto Stadium, followed by a match against Switzerland on 18 June in Los Angeles, and finally against Qatar on 24 June in Seattle.
