Italy 27 players called up for Moldova and Norway, World Cup Qualifiers

By Anna Italia
Follow me on X  @ItalianSerieA,
Facebook: Anna Italia Page
Instagram: annaitalia2
Italian Soccer Serie A

 

🇮🇹👉   The Head Coach of Italy, Gennaro Gattuso, has summoned 27 players for the World Cup qualifying matches against Moldova and Norway. Italy will play its final two fixtures in Group I of the World Cup qualifiers, beginning with a match against Moldova in Chișinău on Thursday, 13 November 2025. The concluding game will be in Milan against Norway on Sunday, 16 November. The training camp starts on Monday, 10 November, at the Coverciano National Training Centre.

Among the newly called players, Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile is making his debut call-up to the senior national team. Alessandro Buongiorno and Samuele Ricci are making a return to the Azzurri squad.  They last represented Italy in March 2025 and June 2025, respectively. Gianluca Scamacca is also rejoining the team. He was summoned by Gattuso back in September.  Still, he had to leave the camp before the match against Estonia in Bergamo for not fully recovered from a muscular injury he sustained before arriving at Coverciano. Nicolò Barella, who received a booking on 14 October during the match against Israel, will be unavailable for the game against Moldova due to suspension.

Currently, three Azzurri players are under yellow card warnings: Andrea Cambiaso, Davide Frattesi, and Sandro Tonali.

How are things working out for the Italian team?

Italy has recorded five consecutive wins, securing a play-off spot with two games to spare. There is still a hope of topping the group and earning a direct place at the World Cup. This can happen only if the Azzurri win both remaining games and drastically improve their goal difference over the current leaders (Norway +26, Italy +10). Alternatively, they could rely on Haaland and his teammates dropping points in their home match against Estonia on 13 November.

  🇮🇹    ITALY SQUAD LIST

GOALKEEPERS: Elia Caprile (Cagliari), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).

DEFENDERS: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma).

MIDFIELDERS: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Samuele Ricci (Milan), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle).

FORWARDS: Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Atletico Madrid), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).

==============================
Ticket option for the Italy National team games

==============================

Photo via x.com/ Azzurri_En

✅    GROUP I SCHEDULE AND STANDINGS

13 November, 18:00: Norway vs. Estonia (Oslo)
13 November, 20:45: Moldova vs. ITALY (Chisinau)
16 November, 20:45: Israel vs. Moldova (Debrecen)
16 November, 20:45: ITALY vs. Norway (Milan)

Group I Standings: Norway, 18 points (six games played), ITALY, 15 points (six), Israel, nine points (seven), Estonia, four points (seven), Moldova, one point (six).

✅   STATS WITH THE OPPONENTS.

Statistics reveal that Italy has achieved six victories in six matches against Moldova. The last encounter on June 9 in Reggio Emilia ended with a 2-0 win, courtesy of goals from Cambiaso and Raspadori. Italy has faced Norway 18 times, securing ten wins, four draws, and four losses, which includes a 3-0 loss on June 6 in Oslo during the Azzurri’s first match of the qualifying group.

✅  PREVIOUS GAMES IN CHISINAU AND MILAN.

Italy has faced Chisinau on two occasions previously, both during World Cup qualifying matches. On October 5, 1996, Italy defeated Moldova with a score of 3-1, thanks to two goals from Fabrizio Ravanelli and one from Pierluigi Casiraghi. Then, on September 8, 2004, Alessandro Del Piero netted the sole and winning goal in the match against the home team.

Italy, who played their very first game in history on 15 May 1910 at the Arena Civica, defeating France 6-2, is set to return to the ‘Meazza’ eight months after their loss to Germany in the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals. Milan, the second city after Rome to host the most national team matches (63, with 39 wins, 19 draws, and 5 defeats), and the home of the Italian Football Federation from 1905 to 1911, has witnessed Italy play in four different stadiums: the Arena Civica, the Velodromo Sempione (which was demolished in 1928), the Milan Field in Viale Lombardia, and the San Siro Stadium, which was named Giuseppe Meazza on 3 March 1980.

In Milan, the capital of Lombardy, Italy maintained an impressive unbeaten streak that lasted nearly a century.  Precisely 96 years: starting from the 1-2 defeat to Hungary in January 1925 (at Campo Milan, with the earlier loss to Hungary in 1911 occurring at Arena Civica) to the 1-2 loss against Spain in October 2021 at the ‘Meazza’. Italy’s most notable victory in Milan was the remarkable 9-4 triumph over France on 18 January 1920, while Austria is the team they have faced the most frequently (six times), followed closely by Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, and Portugal (each five times).

Result Italy 3 – 0 Israel, Tuesday 14 October 2025, World Cup Qualifier

      Italy 3 – 0 Israel 

Italy triumphed over Israel in the World Cup Qualifiers Group I on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy.   It’s a complete celebration for Italy. This win against Israel brings them closer to securing at least a playoff spot, as they aim to avoid missing a third consecutive World Cup. Mateo Retegui scored two goals, and Gianluca Mancini topped it off with a goal in the 93rd minute. So, it’s a celebration for Italy.

There’s even a slight possibility of claiming the top position, but that seems unlikely due to the goal difference. We’ll find out more during the next international break.

Gennaro Gattuso becomes the fifth coach of the Italian men’s national team to win all four of his matches, joining the ranks of Azeglio Vicini, Antonio Conte, Edmondo Fabbri, and Schiavio-Piola.  Surely, since Gattuso took over, Italy has impressively scored 16 goals across four matches. They have secured second place.

What’s next?

Italy will be back for Matchday 9, playing away against Moldova on November 13th. Following that, they will face Norway at San Siro on the 16th for the final match.

Here’s the current scenario

The Group I standings show Norway in the lead with 18 points (+26), Italy in second with 15 (+10), Israel with 9 (-4), Estonia with 4 (-10), and Moldova with 1 (-22). Israel and Estonia also have a game in hand.

✅   Here are the Standings (AFTER THE GAME).

Norway 18 points (6 games played), Italy 15 points  (6), Israel 9 points (7), Estonia 4 points (7), Moldova 1 (6)

🇮🇹 Italy 1 – 0 Israel 🇮🇱

Italy takes the lead in the 45+2 minute. Forward Mateo Retegui successfully converts the penalty with a right-footed shot into the top left corner. The penalty was conceded by Matan Baltaxa (Israel) following a foul on Retegui in the penalty area.

🫶 pic.twitter.com/E3bw7KGQaE

— Jersey Punk (@SJerseyPunk) October 14, 2025

 

🇮🇹 Italy 2 – 0 Israel 🇮🇱

Italy rejoices as they score again in the 74th minute. A costly error by substitute Turiel, who gives away the ball under Retegui’s pressure. Retegui finds room to shift onto his right foot and fires an unerring curling shot past Glazer. The Azzurri extend their advantage.

🇮🇹 Italy 2 – 0 Israel 🇮🇱 74th minute ⚽️ goal by Mateo Retegui for @Azzurri_En with a right footed shot to the top right corner.https://t.co/Q37jrieskA#italiaisrael #WorldCupQualifiers https://t.co/Jd5lXzIDDw

— Anna Italia (@ItalianSerieA) October 14, 2025

RETEGUI SEND A MISSLE !!!!

ITALY 2-0! pic.twitter.com/6YNEHDhP6V

— Goals ⚽ (@Goals360hub) October 14, 2025

All anyone could do was watch it go sailing in ⛵️ pic.twitter.com/rbqq6weBED

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) October 14, 2025

🇮🇹 Italy 3 – 0 Israel 🇮🇱

The game has concluded! It’s a full Italian celebration! In the 93rd minute, the Italians secured their victory. Gianluca Mancini netted a header from just a few feet away into the top left corner. He was assisted by Federico Dimarco, who delivered a cross after a corner given away by Dor Turgeman.

🇮🇹 Italy 3 – 0 Israel 🇮🇱 93rd minute ⚽️ goal by Gianluca Mancini for @Azzurri_En from very close range with a header shot to the top left corner. The assist is by Federico Dimarco with a cross following a corne conceded by Dor Turgeman.https://t.co/Q37jrieskA… https://t.co/aD5fQKhNUF pic.twitter.com/wPpsD4GWHO

— Anna Italia (@ItalianSerieA) October 14, 2025

Player Statistics

Francesco Pio Esposito netted his first goal for the national team at the age of 20 years and 105 days.  Esposito could potentially score his second in this match at 20 years and 108 days; since the 1970s, the only player to have scored a second goal for Italy at a younger age was Moise Kean (19 years and 26 days in March 2019).

==============================
Ticket option for Italy National team games

🇮🇹 Italy tickets

Moldova – Italy Tickets,
2025-11-13, FIFA World Cup Qualification, Zimbro, Chisinau, Moldova

Italy – Norway Tickets,
2025-11-16, FIFA World Cup Qualification, Stadio San Siro (Giuseppe Meazza), Milan, Italy.

==============================

The Bluenergy Stadium is set for Italy vs Israel

Photo via x.com/Udinese_1896

Via x.com/ Azzurri_En

ITALY – ISRAEL Match Officials

Referee: Clément Turpin FRA.
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA.
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pages FRA.
Fourth Official: François Letexier FRA.
Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA.
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL.
UEFA Referee Observer: Herbert Fandel GER.
UEFA Delegate: Balázs Makray HUN.

Italy official starting lineup against Israel

Photo via x.com/

 

🎶🎶 Fratelli d’Italia,
l’Italia s’è desta,
dell’elmo di Scipio
s’è cinta la testa.

Dov’è la Vittoria?
Le porga la chioma,
ché schiava di Roma
Iddio la creò.

Stringiamci a coorte,
siam pronti alla morte.
Siam pronti alla morte,
l’Italia chiamò.
Stringiamci a coorte,
siam… https://t.co/r8gggQZzCz

— Anna Italia (@ItalianSerieA) October 14, 2025

 

 

Via x.com/Azzurri_En

 

 2026 World Cup Qualifying

🇮🇹  Italy – Israel   🇮🇱
Tuesday 14 October 2025
Bluenergy Stadium
Udine, Italy

20:45

Official lineups – tabellino:

🇮🇹  Lineup ITALIA (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Calafiori; Cambiaso, Barella, Locatelli, Tonali, Dimarco; Retegui, Raspadori.  

Subs: Meret, Vicario, Gabbia, Spinazzola, Udogie, Orsolini, Piccoli, Esposito, Cristante, Frattesi, Cambiaghi, Coppola.

Coach: Gennaro Gattuso

🇮🇱  Lineup ISRAEL (4-3-3): Glazer; Dasa, Baltaxa, Blorian, Revivo; Peretz, Gloukh, Khlaili; Biton, Baribo, Solomon.  

Subs: Peretz, Tzur, Gandelman, Shua, Azoulay, Noy, Mizrahi, Abu Fani, Gropper, Turgeman, Stoinov, Toriel.

Coach: Ben SImon

Gigi approves 😉👍 pic.twitter.com/6OowVKboMz

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) October 14, 2025

C A P I T A N O 💙#ItaliaIsraele #Nazionale #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/TVFifiQuF5

— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri) October 14, 2025

Click the video to watch Italy 3 – 0 Israel highlights on Tuesday 14 October 2025

Italy vs Israel Official Lineups, Tuesday 14 October 2025, World Cup Qualifiers

🇮🇹  Lineup ITALIA (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Calafiori; Cambiaso, Barella, Locatelli, Tonali, Dimarco; Retegui, Raspadori.  

Subs: Meret, Vicario, Gabbia, Spinazzola, Udogie, Orsolini, Piccoli, Esposito, Cristante, Frattesi, Cambiaghi, Coppola.

Coach: Gennaro Gattuso

🇮🇱  Lineup ISRAEL (4-3-3): Glazer; Dasa, Baltaxa, Blorian, Revivo; Peretz, Gloukh, Khlaili; Biton, Baribo, Solomon.  

Subs: Peretz, Tzur, Gandelman, Shua, Azoulay, Noy, Mizrahi, Abu Fani, Gropper, Turgeman, Stoinov, Toriel.

Coach: Ben SImon

 

Photo via x.com/