The team is known asgli Azzurri (the Blues), becauseSavoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy, as it is the traditional paint of the royalHouse of Savoy, which reigned over theKingdom of Italy. In 1938, Italy became the first team to defend its World Cup title, and due to the outbreak ofWorld War II, retained the title for a further twelve years. Italy had also previously won twoCentral European International Cups (1927–30,1933–35). Between its first two World Cup victories, Italy won theOlympic football tournament (1936). After the majority of the team was killed in aplane crash in 1949, Italy obtained poor results in the 1950s, even failing to qualify for the1958 World Cup. Failure to qualify for the World Cup did not happen again until the consecutive editions of2018 and2022. However, the team was unbeaten from October 2018 to October 2021, and holds the world record for most consecutive matches without defeat (37).
Italy has notable rivalries with other footballing nations, such asBrazil,France,Germany andSpain. In theFIFA World Rankings, in force since August 1993, Italy has occupied first place several times, in November 1993 and during 2007 (February, April–June, September), with its worst placement in August 2018 in 21st place.
An early attempt to create an Italian national team occurred on 30 April 1899, when an Italian selection played a Swiss eleven, losing 0–2 inTorino.[2] Theteam's first official match was held inMilan on 15 May 1910. Italy defeatedFrance by a score of 6–2, with Italy's first goal scored byPietro Lana.[3][4][5] The Italian team played with a (2–3–5) system and consisted of De Simoni, Varisco,Calì, Trerè, Fossati,Capello, Debernardi, Rizzi,Cevenini I, Lana,Boiocchi, with Calì as the team's first captain.[6]
The first success in an official tournament was the bronze medal at the1928 Summer Olympics inAmsterdam. After losing the semi-final againstUruguay, an 11–3 victory againstEgypt secured third place in the competition. In the1927–30 and1933–35 Central European International Cup, Italy achieved first place out of fiveCentral European teams, topping the group with 11 points in both editions of the tournament.[7][8] Italy would also later win the gold medal at the1936 Summer Olympics with a 2–1 victory in extra time in the gold medal match overAustria on 15 August 1936.[9]
After declining to participate in the inaugural World Cup (1930, in Uruguay) the Italy national team won two consecutive editions of the tournament in1934 and1938, under the direction of coachVittorio Pozzo and the performance ofGiuseppe Meazza, who is considered one of the best Italian football players of all time by some.[10][11] Italy hosted the 1934 World Cup, and played their first ever World Cup match in a 7–1 win over theUnited States inRome. Italy defeatedCzechoslovakia 2–1 inextra time in the final in Rome, with goals byRaimundo Orsi andAngelo Schiavio to achieve their first World Cup title. They achieved their second title in 1938 in a 4–2 defeat ofHungary, with two goals byGino Colaussi and two goals bySilvio Piola in the World Cup that followed. It is rumored that before the 1938 finalsfascist Italian Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini sent atelegram to the team, saying "Vincere o morire!" (literally translated as "Win or die!"). However, no record remains of such a telegram, and World Cup playerPietro Rava said when interviewed: "No, no, no, that's not true. He sent a telegram wishing us well, but no never 'win or die'."[12]
In 1949, 10 of the 11 players in the team's initial line-up were killed in aplane crash that affectedTorino, winners of the previous fiveSerie A titles. Italy did not advance further than the first round of the1950 World Cup, as they were weakened severely due to the air disaster. The team had travelled by boat rather than by plane, fearing another accident.[13]
Their participation in the1966 World Cup was ended by a 0–1 defeat at the hands ofNorth Korea. Despite being the tournament favourites, theAzzurri, whose 1966 squad includedGianni Rivera andGiacomo Bulgarelli, were eliminated in the first round by the semi-professional North Koreans. The Italian team was bitterly condemned upon their return home, while North Korean scorerPak Doo-ik was celebrated as theDavid who killed Goliath. Upon Italy's return home, furious fans threw fruit and rotten tomatoes at their transport bus at the airport.[19][20]
European champions and World Cup runners-up (1968–1974)
In 1968, Italy hosted theEuropean Championship and won the tournament in its first participation, beatingYugoslavia in Rome and winning their first major competition since the 1938 World Cup. Thefinal ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time, and the rules of the time required the match to be replayed a few days later. This would be the only time the final of the European Championship or World Cup was replayed.[21] On 10 June 1968, Italy won the replay 2–0 (with goals fromGigi Riva andPietro Anastasi) to take the trophy.
In the1970 World Cup, exploiting the performances of European champions' players likeGiacinto Facchetti, Gianni Rivera and Gigi Riva and with a new centre-forwardRoberto Boninsegna, the team were able to return to the World Cup final match after 32 years. They reached this result after one of the most famous matches in football history—the "Game of the Century", the 1970 World Cup semifinal between Italy and West Germany that Italy won 4–3 in extra time, with five of the seven goals coming in extra time.[22] They were later defeated byBrazil in thefinal 4–1.
After losing toBelgium in the quarter-finals to qualify for the1972 European Championship, this generation's cycle ended at the1974 World Cup, where the team was eliminated in the group stage after a 2–1 loss againstPoland in the last match of the group.
Under the initial guide ofFulvio Bernardini and later that of head coachEnzo Bearzot, a new generation of Italian players came to the international stage in the second half of the 1970s. At the1978 World Cup, Italy was the only team in the tournament to beat the eventual champions and host teamArgentina, and theAzzurri made it to the third-place final, where they were defeated by Brazil 2–1. In the second round group stage match against theNetherlands, which prevented Italy from reaching the final, Italian goalkeeperDino Zoff was beaten by a long-distance shot fromArie Haan, and Zoff was criticised for the defeat.[23] Italy hosted the1980 European Championship, the first edition to be held between eight teams instead of four,[24] automatically qualifying for the finals as hosts. After two draws withSpain and Belgium and a narrow 1–0 win overEngland, Italy were beaten by Czechoslovakia in the third-place match on penalties 9–8 afterFulvio Collovati missed his kick.[25][26]
After ascandal inSerie A, where some national team players such asPaolo Rossi[27] were prosecuted and suspended for match fixing and illegal betting, theAzzurri qualified for the second round of the1982 World Cup after three uninspiring draws againstPoland,Peru, andCameroon. Having been loudly criticised, the Italian team decided on a press black-out from then on, with only coach Enzo Bearzot and captain Dino Zoff appointed to speak to the press. Italy's second group was agroup of death with Argentina and Brazil. In the opener, Italy prevailed 2–1 over Argentina, with Italy's goals, both left-footed strikes, being scored byMarco Tardelli andAntonio Cabrini. After Brazil defeated Argentina 3–1, Italy needed to win in order to advance to the semi-finals. Italy took the lead twice with Paolo Rossi's goals, and twice Brazil came back. WhenFalcão scored to equalise at 2–2, Brazil would have been through on goal difference, but in the 74th minute Rossi scored the winning goal, for ahat-trick, in a crowded penalty area to send Italy to the semifinals after one of the greatestgames in World Cup history.[28][29][30] Italy then progressed to the semi-final where they defeated Poland with two goals from Rossi.
In thefinal on 11 July 1982, Italy met West Germany inMadrid. The first half ended scoreless, after Antonio Cabrini missed a penalty awarded for aHans-Peter Briegel foul onBruno Conti. In the second half Paolo Rossi again scored the first goal, and while the Germans were pushing forward in search of an equaliser, Marco Tardelli and substituteAlessandro Altobelli finalised twocontropiede counterattacks to make it 3–0.Paul Breitner scored West Germany's consolation goal seven minutes before the end.[31] Tardelli's screaming celebration after his goal was one of the defining images of Italy's 1982 World Cup triumph.[32] Paolo Rossi won theGolden Boot with six goals as well as theGolden Ball Award for the best player of the tournament,[33] and 40-year-old captain-goalkeeper Dino Zoff became the oldest player to win the World Cup.[34]
Italy subsequently failed to qualify forUEFA Euro 1984,[35][36] and then entered as reigning champions in the1986 World Cup,[37][38][39] but were eliminated by reigning European Champions, France, in the round of 16.[40]
Vicini years and World Cup runners-up with Sacchi (1986–1994)
In 1986,Azeglio Vicini was appointed as new head coach, replacing Bearzot.[41] He granted a central role to players such asWalter Zenga andGianluca Vialli, and conceded a chance to young players coming from the U21 team;[42] Vialli scored goals that gave Italy a1988 European Championship pass,[43] and he was shown like Altobelli's successor, having his same goal attitude.[44] Both forwards stroke the target in Germany, where the Soviet Union defeated theAzzurri in the semi-finals.[45]
Italy hosted the World Cup for the second time in1990. The Italian attack featured talented forwardsSalvatore Schillaci and a youngRoberto Baggio. Italy played nearly all of their matches in Rome and did not concede a single goal in their first five matches; however, they lost the semi-final in Naples to defending champion Argentina. Argentinian playerDiego Maradona, who played forNapoli, made comments prior to the game pertaining to the North–South inequality in Italy and theRisorgimento, asking Neapolitans to root for Argentina in the game.[46] Italy lost 4–3 on penalty kicks following a 1–1 draw after extra time. Schillaci's first-half opener was equalised in the second half byClaudio Caniggia's header for Argentina.Aldo Serena missed the final penalty kick withRoberto Donadoni also having his penalty saved by goalkeeperSergio Goycochea. Italy went on to defeat England 2–1 in the third-place match in Bari, with Schillaci scoring the winning goal on a penalty to become the tournament's top scorer with six goals.
After failing to qualify forUEFA Euro 1992, Vicini was replaced by formerAC Milan coachArrigo Sacchi, who brought a new style of play. In November 1993, FIFA ranked Italy No. 1 since theranking system was introduced in December 1992.[47]
At the1994 World Cup in the United States, Italy lost the opening match againstIreland 0–1 atGiants Stadium inNew Jersey. After a 1–0 win againstNorway inEast Rutherford and a 1–1 draw withMexico at theRFK Stadium inWashington, D.C., Italy advanced fromGroup E based on goals scored among the four teams tied on points. During their round of 16 match atFoxboro Stadium nearBoston, Italy was down 0–1 late againstNigeria, but Baggio equalised in the 88th minute and a penalty in extra time to take the win.[48] Baggio scored another late goal against Spain at their quarter-final match in Boston to seal a 2–1 win and two goals againstBulgaria in their semi-final match in New York for another 2–1 win.[49][50] In thefinal, which took place inLos Angeles'sRose Bowl stadium 2,700 miles (4,320 km) andthree time zones away from theNortheastern United States where they had played all their previous matches, Italy, who had 24 hours less rest than Brazil, played 120 minutes of scoreless football, taking the match to apenalty shootout, the first time a World Cup final was settled on penalties.[51] Italy lost the subsequent shootout 3–2 after Baggio, who had been playing with the aid of a pain-killer injection[52] and a heavily bandaged hamstring,[53][54] missed the final penalty kick of the match, shooting over the crossbar.[55][56]
Italy, still led by Sacchi, qualified forEuro 1996 in England, but did not progress beyond the group stage. Having defeated Russia 2–1 and losing by the same score against theCzech Republic, Italy required a victory in their final group match against Germany to progress to the quarter-finals. However,Gianfranco Zola failed to convert a decisive penalty in a 0–0 draw against the Germans, who eventually won the tournament.[57]
Two years later, at theEuro 2000, with four consecutive victories the team led by former captainDino Zoff made it all the way to the semifinals, facing another penalty shoot-out but emerging victorious over the co-hosts, the Netherlands.[61] Italian goalkeeperFrancesco Toldo saved one penalty during the match and two in the shootout, while strikerFrancesco Totti scored his penalty with acucchiaio (lit.'spoon') chip.[62] Italy finished the tournament as runners-up, losing the final 2–1 against France (to agolden goal in extra time) after conceding an equalising goal just 30 seconds before the expected end of injury time.[63] After the defeat, coach Dino Zoff resigned in protest after being criticised by AC Milan club president and politicianSilvio Berlusconi.[64]
Giovanni Trapattoni took charge of the team in July 2000 following the resignation of Dino Zoff.[65] Playing inGroup 8 of the2002 FIFA World Cup qualification process, Italy finished undefeated after facingRomania,Georgia,Hungary andLithuania. In thefinal tournament, a 2–0 victory againstEcuador with a double fromChristian Vieri was followed by a series of controversial matches. During the match againstCroatia, English refereeGraham Poll incorrectly disallowed two regular goals resulting in a 2–1 defeat to Italy.[66] Despite two goals being ruled for offsides, a late headed goal from Alessandro Del Piero helped Italy to a 1–1 draw with Mexico, proving enough to advance to the knockout stages.[67]
Co-host countrySouth Korea eliminated Italy in theround of 16 by a score of 2–1. The match proved controversial with members of the Italian team, most notably striker Francesco Totti and coachGiovanni Trapattoni, suggesting a conspiracy to eliminate Italy from the competition.[68] Trapattoni even obliquely accused FIFA of ordering the official to ensure a Korean victory so that one of the two host nations would remain in the tournament.[69] The most contentious decisions by the game refereeByron Moreno were an early penalty awarded to South Korea (saved by Buffon), agolden goal byDamiano Tommasi incorrectly ruledoffside, and the sending off of Totti after being presented with a second yellow card for an allegeddive in the penalty area.[70] FIFA presidentSepp Blatter stated that the linesmen had been a "disaster" and admitted that Italy suffered from bad offside calls during the group matches, but he denied conspiracy allegations. While questioning Totti's sending off by Moreno, Blatter refused to blame Italy's loss entirely on the referees, stating: "Italy's elimination is not only down to referees and linesmen who made human not premeditated errors. Italy made mistakes both in defense and in attack."[71]
Trapattoni stayed on and guided the team atEuro 2004 in Portugal, where after draws againstDenmark andSweden along with a victory overBulgaria inGroup C, Italy were eliminated following a three-way five point tie based on the number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams.[72] GoalkeeperGianluigi Buffon and then Italian football federation presidentFranco Carraro accused the Swedish and Danish teams of fixing the result of their final match (2-2 was the result which consented both teams to advance).[73] Despite calls, then-UEFA spokesperson Robert Faulkner said the organization would not investigate the result.[74]
On 9 July 2006, theAzzurri won their fourth World Cup title after defeating France in thefinal. French captainZinedine Zidane opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the seventh minute beforeMarco Materazzi scored from a corner kick, twelve minutes later. The score remained level and during extra-time and Zidane was sent off forheadbutting Materazzi.[86] Italy went on to win the penalty shootout 5–3, with all Italian players scoring their kicks. The decisive penalty goal was scored by Grosso.[87]
FIFA named seven Italian players —Gianluigi Buffon,Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta,Andrea Pirlo,Gennaro Gattuso,Francesco Totti and Luca Toni — to the 23-man tournamentAll Star Team.[88] Buffon also won theLev Yashin Award, given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament; he conceded only two goals in the tournament's seven matches, the first an own goal byZaccardo and the second from Zidane's penalty kick in the final, and remained unbeaten for 460 consecutive minutes.[89] In honour of Italy winning a fourth World Cup, members of the squad were awarded theItalian Order of Merit ofCavaliere.[90][91]
Marcello Lippi, who had announced his resignation three days after the World Cup triumph, was replaced byRoberto Donadoni.[92] Italy qualified for Euro 2008 by winning theirgroup ahead of France. On 14 February 2007, Italy climbed to first in theFIFA World Rankings for the second time.[47] AtEuro 2008, theAzzurri lost 3–0 to the Netherlands in the opening match of the group stage. The following game againstRomania ended 1–1 thanks to a penalty save fromGianluigi Buffon.[93] Italy would win their final group game against France 2–0, a rematch of the 2006 World Cup final. TheAzzurri were eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties to eventual champions Spain. Within a week of the game, Roberto Donadoni's contract was terminated and Marcello Lippi was rehired as coach.[94]
Italy qualified for their first everFIFA Confederations Cup held in South Africa in June 2009 by virtue of winning the 2006 World Cup. They won their opening match of thetournament against the United States, but subsequent defeats toEgypt and Brazil meant that they finished third in the group on goals scored (points level with the US and Egypt), and were eliminated.[95]
At the2010 World Cup in South Africa, reigning champions Italy were unexpectedly eliminated in thefirst round, finishing last place in their group. After being held to 1–1 draws withParaguay andNew Zealand, they suffered a 3–2 loss toSlovakia.[96] It was the first time Italy failed to win a single game at a World Cup tournament, and in doing so became only the third nation to be eliminated in the first round while being reigning World Cup champions.[97]
Euro 2012 runners-up and fluctuating results (2010–2018)
The national football team of Italy before the UEFA Euro 2012 final,Olympic Stadium, Kyiv, 1 July 2012
Marcello Lippi stepped down after Italy's World Cup campaign and was replaced byCesare Prandelli, although Lippi's successor had already been announced before the tournament.[98]
AtUEFA Euro 2012, Italy finished second in their group behind Spain, which earned them a quarter-final tie against England. After a mostly one-sided affair in which Italy failed to take their chances, they managed to beat England on penalties.[99][100] In the semi-final against Germany, two first-half goals byMario Balotelli saw the Italians through to the final. In thefinal, Italy fell to a 4–0 defeat to Spain.[101]
During the2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, Italy reached the semi-finals, losing 7–6 on penalties to Spain.[102] Italy did manage to beat Uruguay in the third place play-off. At the2014 FIFA World Cup, Italy defeated England 2–1 in their first match before succumbing to underdogsCosta Rica 1–0 in the second group stage match.[103][104] In Italy's last group match, they were knocked out by Uruguay 1–0, in a controversial match, where Italian playerClaudio Marchisio was controversially sent off whilst Uruguay'sLuis Suarez bit Italy'sGiorgio Chiellini without any sanction.[105][106] Shortly after this loss, coach Cesare Prandelli resigned.[107]
FormerJuventus managerAntonio Conte was selected to replace Prandelli. On 10 October 2015, Italy qualified forEuro 2016, courtesy of a 3–1 win overAzerbaijan;[108] the result meant that Italy had gone 50 games unbeaten in European qualifiers.[109] On 4 April 2016, it was announced that Antonio Conte would step down as Italy coach after Euro 2016 to become head coach ofChelsea.[110] The 23-man squad was initially criticised by many fans and members of the media for its lack of quality,[111] which saw notable absences, such as Andrea Pirlo andSebastian Giovinco being controversially left out.[112] Italy opened Euro 2016 with a 2–0 victory over Belgium and qualified thanks to a win against Sweden in the second match, which made their defeat 1–0 to Ireland in the final group stage match irrelevant for access to the round of 16.[113][114] Italy subsequently defeated reigning European champions Spain 2–0 in the round of 16.[115] However, Italy were defeated by reigningworld champions Germany in the quarter-finals on penalties, after a 1–1 draw.[116][117]
After Conte's planned departure following Euro 2016,Gian Piero Ventura took over as manager for the team.[118] Duringqualification for the 2018 World Cup, Italy finished second in Group G, five points behind Spain.[119][120] Italy would compete in theplay-off round against Sweden, where they lost 1–0 on aggregate and therefore eliminated; the first time that Italy had failed to qualify for the World Cup since1958.[121] Following the match, veteransAndrea Barzagli,Daniele De Rossi and captainGianluigi Buffon all declared their retirement from the national team.[122] On 15 November 2017, Ventura was dismissed as head coach,[123] and on 20 November 2017,Carlo Tavecchio resigned as president of the Italian Football Federation.[124]Luigi Di Biagio was called ascaretaker manager and led the team in subsequent friendlies in March 2018, including the last of Buffon's 176 appearances on 23 March in a friendly against Argentina.[125]
On 14 May 2018,Roberto Mancini was announced as the new manager.[126] On 16 August 2018, in the first FIFA World Rankings update that followed the World Cup, Italy dropped to their lowest-ever ranking of 21st.[127] On 18 November 2019, Italy finishedEuro 2020 qualifying with ten wins in all ten matches, becoming only the sixth side to qualify for a European Championship with a perfect record.[128] On 17 March 2020, UEFA confirmed thatEuro 2020 would be postponed by one year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[129]
At the delayed Euro 2020, Italy finished top of Group A, ahead ofTurkey,Switzerland, andWales. Being one of the host nations, Italy played all three group games at Rome'sStadio Olimpico, and it became the first team in European Championship history to win each group stage match without conceding.[130] In the round of 16, Italy defeatedAustria 2–1 atWembley Stadium after extra time.[131] In the quarter-finals, Italy secured a 2–1 victory overBelgium, before beatingSpain on penalties in the semi-finals.[132][133]
In thefinal, on 11 July 2021, Italy won the European Championship defeating hostsEngland at Wembley Stadium on penalties after a 1–1 draw,[134] for their second European title and their first since1968. GoalkeeperGianluigi Donnarumma also won thePlayer of the Tournament award, given to the best player of the tournament.[135] On 16 July, all members of the European Championship-winning squad were awarded theItalian Order of Merit ofCavaliere.[136]
In October 2021, Italy participated in theUEFA Nations League Finals as hosts, and lost the semi-final against Spain, 2–1 at theSan Siro.[137] This match meant the end of the record 37-game unbeaten run and the first defeat for Italy in more than three years. Four days later, Italy won the third-place play-off, 2–1 against Belgium.[138]
On 26 September 2022, Italy qualified for the2023 UEFA Nations League Finals after beatingHungary 2–0 inBudapest.[143] On 15 June 2023, Italy played the semi-final against Spain, losing 2–1.[144] Three days later, Italy won the third-place match 3–2 against the Netherlands.[145] Mancini's stay on Italy's bench ended two months later following his resignation.[146]
Italy vs. Brazil: matches between the nations are known as the World Derby (Portuguese:Clássico Mundial).[152] The most successful football nations in the world, they have achieved nineWorld Cups between one another. Since their first match at the 1938 World Cup, they have played against each other a total of five times in the World Cup, most notably in the1970 World Cup final and the1994 World Cup final in which Brazil won 4–1 and 3–2 onpenalties after a goalless draw respectively.[153]
Italy vs. Germany: matches between the two nations have cumulated in five matches in the World Cup, including the "Game of the Century", the 1970 World Cup semifinal between the two countries that Italy won 4–3 in extra time, with five of the seven goals coming in extra time.[157] Italy defeated West Germany 3–1 in the1982 FIFA World Cup final. Germany has also won threeEuropean Championships while Italy has won it twice. The two countries have faced each other four times in the European Championship, with three draws (one German penalty shoot-out victory) and one Italian victory.[158] Germany had never defeated Italy in a major tournament match until their victory in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals, on penalties (though statistically considered a draw), with all Germany's other wins over Italy being infriendly competitions.[117]
Italy vs. Spain: this is a less heated and less heartfelt rivalry for the Italians, especially when compared to those with Germany and France. Matches between Italy and Spain are known as the Mediterranean Derby (Spanish:Rivalidad futbolística Italia-España), named after theMediterranean Sea that separates the two nations.[159] Matches between them have been contested since 1920, and although they are not immediate geographical neighbours, their rivalry at international level is enhanced by the strong performances of their representative clubs in UEFA competitions.[160][161] Since the quarterfinal match between them atEuro 2008, the rivalry has renewed, with its most notable match being theUEFA Euro 2012 final, which Spain won 4–0.[162][163]
Italy in 1910, wearing the original white jersey. They would switch to the traditional blue shirt a year later.
The blue shirt had aHouse of Savoy badge during the early 1930s.
Italy's classic kit, worn by Giacinto Facchetti in 1968
The first shirt worn by the Italy national team, in its debut against France on 15 May 1910, was white. The choice of colour was due to the fact that a decision about the appearance of the kit had not yet been made, so it was decided not to have a colour, which was why white was chosen.[164] After two games, for a friendly against Hungary in Milan on 6 January 1911, the white shirt was replaced by a blue jersey (specificallySavoy azure)—blue being the border colour of the royalHouse of Savoy crest used on the flag of theKingdom of Italy (1861–1946); the shirt was accompanied by white shorts and black socks (which later became blue).[164] The team later became known asgli Azzurri (the Blues).[164][165][166][167]
In 1983, to celebrate the previous year's World Cup win, three goldstars replacedITALIA above the tricolour, representing their three World Cup victories. In 1984, a round emblem was launched, featuring the three stars, the inscriptionsITALIA andFIGC, and the tricolour.[164]
The first known kit manufacturer wasAdidas in 1974. From 2003 to 2022, the kit was made byPuma.[164] Since the 2000s, an all-blue uniform including blue shorts has occasionally been used, particularity in international tournaments.[164] After Italy's 2006 World Cup victory, a fourth star was added to the tricolour badge. In March 2022, after almost 20 years with Puma, it was announced that Adidas will be Italy's kit manufacturer from 2023 as part of a four-year deal.[170]
Gennaro Gattuso has been Italy's head coach since June 2025.
During the earliest days of Italian nation football, it was common for a Technical Commission to be appointed. The Commission took the role that a standard coach would currently play. Ever since 1967, the national team has been controlled only by the coach. For this reason, the coach of the Italy national team is still calledTechnical Commissioner (Italian:commissario tecnico) orCT. The use of this title has since then expanded into other team sports in Italy.
As of 9 June 2025, the complete official match record of the Italian national team comprises889 matches: 473 wins, 241 draws and 175 losses.[190] During these matches, the team scored 1,551 times and conceded 880 goals. Italy's highest winning margin is nine goals, which was achieved against theUnited States in 1948 (9–0). Their longest winning streak is 13 wins,[191] and their unbeaten record is 37 consecutive official matches, a world record.[192]
^This edition of the tournament was interrupted due to theannexation of Austria toNazi Germany on 12 March 1938, which meant that three games – all of which were Italy's – could not be played. As a result, no title was awarded.
^DuringUEFA Euro 2008,Alessandro Del Piero was named the Italy national team acting captain, as Cannavaro was injured and unable to take part in the competition, howeverGianluigi Buffon was often played as captain as Del Piero was frequently deployed as a substitute.[178][179][180]
^Gianluigi Buffon served as second acting captain inUEFA Euro 2008 afterAlessandro Del Piero was named the team's acting captain, as Cannavaro was injured and unable to take part in the competition, however Del Piero was frequently deployed as a substitute.[180] Although Buffon was officially named Italy's new captain in 2010,[181] following Fabio Cannavaro's retirement subsequent to the2010 FIFA World Cup,Andrea Pirlo was named the Italy national team's acting captain after the tournament (whileDaniele De Rossi was named the team's second acting captain),[181][182][183] as Buffon was ruled out until the end of the year due to injury, and only made his first appearance as Italy's official captain on 9 February 2011, in a 1–1 friendly away draw againstGermany.[181][184][185][186]
^Due to theGaza war, Israel were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[172]
^Due to theGaza war, Israel are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[173]
^"Album della stagione" (in Italian). MagliaRossonera.it.Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved15 June 2010.
^"Pietro Lana" (in Italian). MagliaRossonera.it.Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved15 June 2010.
^"FIGC". Figc.it.Archived from the original on 23 April 2007. Retrieved21 April 2012.
^"Italia-Francia IL CALCIO"(PDF) (in Italian). repubblica.it. 17 October 2006.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 November 2006. Retrieved24 October 2006.
^Murray, Scott (2 September 2011)."The Joy of Six: European Championship qualifiers".The Guardian. Retrieved1 December 2023.At a Uefa congress in 1957, a motion to set up a European championship was finally put to the floor. Predictably, the British associations acted like a petulant child, just as it had done three decades earlier with the World Cup. Fearing such a tournament would interfere with the Home Internationals, it abstained, though this time it was by no means the only offender: seven other countries voted against, including West Germany, Italy and Holland.
^Mario Sconcerti (26 September 1985)."L' Italia s' è persa".la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 27.Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved29 May 2017.
^Gianni Mura (15 November 1987)."Viva Vialli".la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 22.Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved29 May 2017.
^Gianni Brera (21 February 1988)."Abbracciati a Vialli".la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 21.Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved29 May 2017.
^Gianni Brera (25 June 1988)."Questa URSS non è perfetta".la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 23.Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved29 May 2017.
^"ci resta un filo di Baggio" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 15 July 1994.Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved27 April 2016.
^Fletcher, Paul (23 June 2004)."Sweden's conscience clear".BBC Sport.Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved9 October 2021.The Italians finished level on points with Denmark and Sweden but went out because they scored the fewest goals in the games between the three sides.
^McNulty, Phil (1 July 2012)."Spain 4–0 Italy".BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation.Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved26 August 2012.
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