By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A

🇮🇹👉  Italy’s Head Coach, Luciano Spalletti, has announced the squad for the initial two qualifiers of the 2026 World Cup against Norway and Moldova. The first match will take place in Oslo against Norway on Friday, June 6, 2025. The second match is scheduled in Reggio Emilia against Moldova on Monday, June 9. The Azzurri are set to hit the field for their first two games in Group I, which also features Estonia and Israel.

A core group of 21 players is set to gather at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano on Saturday, May 31. The other six players – Inter’s Acerbi, Barella, Bastoni, Dimarco, and Frattesi, along with Paris Saint-Germain’s goalkeeper Donnarumma – will join the team on the evening of Monday, June 2, following the Champions League final.

In the latest updates, Hellas Verona’s defender Diego Coppola has been included in Carmine Nunziata’s Italy U21 squad for the training camp leading up to the European Under-21 Championship. He is a fresh addition to Luciano Spalletti’s 27-man roster.

Davide Zappacosta makes his return to the squad after three and a half years, with his last call-up being in November 2021. Also making a comeback are Riccardo Orsolini, who was last called up in June 2024, and Francesco Acerbi, who hasn’t played since March 2024. Included in the selection are four players who recently celebrated a title-winning season with Napoli: Meret, Buongiorno, Di Lorenzo, and Raspadori, along with two Europa League champions from Tottenham, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie.

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🇮🇹👉    ITALY SQUAD LIST for World Cup Qualifiers

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham), Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta)

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Cesare Casadei (Torino), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolò Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle)

Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese), Daniel Maldini (Atalanta), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta).

✅    NORWAY VS. ITALY Background

Italy is set to begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying journey – the final tournament will take place in Canada, Mexico, and the United States – at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo on Friday, June 6. Their rivals, Norway, have already secured six points from their initial two matches. The two nations have faced each other 17 times in the past: Italy has achieved ten victories, while Norway has three, with four matches ending in a draw. This encounter marks their first meeting in almost ten years – since October 13, 2015 – when the Azzurri rallied to win 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, thanks to goals from Florenzi and Pellè during a Euro 2016 qualifier.

 ✅  ITALY VS. MOLDOVA background

On Monday, June 9, Italy will make a return to the Stadio Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, nearly four years after their last match there – a 5-0 victory against Lithuania on September 8, 2021. Italy will face Moldova and will be playing for the fifth time in this city, which has turned into a stronghold for the national team. In their four previous matches in Reggio Emilia, the Azzurri have emerged victorious each time, netting twelve goals without conceding any. The first and most recent matches held there were both against Lithuania, resulting in wins of 4-0 (November 1995, Euro qualifying) and 5-0 (September 2021, World Cup qualifying). In between, they also secured victories over Israel (1-0, September 2017) in World Cup qualifying and Poland (2-0, November 2020) during the UEFA Nations League group stage.