Italy: squad, match calendar, opponents, times and stadiums. When does the national team play at the European Championships?

Italy presents itself at the starting blocks of Euro 2024, scheduled in Germany from 14 June to 14 July, as reigning champions: three years have passed, in fact, since the magical night of Wembley on 11 July 2021 when the Azzurri – coached at the time by Roberto Mancini – they defeated hosts England on penalties and won the second European Championship in their history. The task of defending the title is entrusted to Luciano Spalletti and it will not be at all simple: the Azzurri, in fact, are included in the Group B with Albania, Spain and Croatia, one of the most difficult and balanced groups of the tournament. The formula provides that the top two in each group plus the four best third-placed teams qualify for the round of 16.

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When does Italy play? The complete calendar

The Italian national team will debut at Euro 2024 on Saturday 15 June at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund against Albania. They will then face Spain on Thursday 20 June in Gelsenkirchen and then close the group stage on Monday 24 June in Leipzig against Croatia. Below is the complete calendar of the Azzurri with the dates and times of the group stage matches (Group B).

Saturday 15 June 2024, 9pm
Italy-Albania (in Dortmund)

Thursday 20 June 2024, 9pm
Spain-Italy (in Gelsenkirchen)

Monday 24 June, 9pm
Croatia-Italy (in Leipzig)

Italy: opponents and precedents

ALBANIA – The national team coached by Sylvinho secured the pass for Euro 2024 by winning the qualifying Group E. For Albania, this is the second participation in the final phase of a European Championship: the only precedent dates back to France 2016 when it was eliminated in the group stage. There are 4 previous matches against Italy, all of which ended with a victory for the Azzurri: the last direct match dates back to 16 November 2022 in a friendly in Tirana (1-3 with a goal from Di Lorenzo and a brace from Grifo).

SPAIN – Luis de la Fuente’s Red Furies qualified for Euro 2024 by winning qualifying Group A. Spain boasts three European titles (won in the 1964, 2008 and 2012 editions) and three years ago reached the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Italy on penalties. Overall, the precedents with the Azzurri between friendlies and official matches are 40: the balance is 11 victories for our national team, 16 draws and 13 Spanish successes. The most recent precedent is the one that took place on 15 June 2023 in Enschede, in the Nations League semi-finals: it ended 2-1 for Spain with Joselu’s decisive goal in the 88th minute.

Jordi Alba and Davide Frattesi during Spain-Italy – Nations League 2022-23

Photo Credit Getty Images

CROATIA – The national team coached by Zlatko Dalic qualified for Euro 2024 by placing second in qualifying Group D behind Turkey. Croatia is participating in the final phase of a European Championship for the sixth time: it has never gone beyond the quarter-finals, reached in 1996 and 2008. The precedents against Italy are 9: the balance is only one Italian victory, 5 draws and 3 Croatian successes. The most recent match is the one – valid for the Euro 2016 qualifiers – of 12 June 2015 in Split: it ended 1-1 with goals from Mandzukic and Candreva.

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Italy: Spalletti’s pre-summit squad

The technical commissioner of the Italian national team Luciano Spalletti has called up 30 players for the Coverciano meeting, in view of Euro 2024, which will start on Friday 31 May. Before the debut in Germany, Italy will play two friendly matches: on 4 June in Bologna against Turkey and on 9 June against Bosnia in Empoli. However, the date on which Spalletti will announce the final list of those called up for the European Championships is set for 6 June (the coach will have to cut 4 players from the pre-summoned squad). Below are the 30 pre-summoned players.

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Turin), Alessandro Buongiorno (Turin), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta).

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Hellas Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Turin).

Attackers: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).

Euro 2024 cities and stadiums

The final phase of the European Championship 2024 in Germany will be staged in 10 stadiums. The Allianz Arena in Munich will host the opening match on 14 June between the hosts national team and Scotland, while the final on 14 July will be played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Below are the 10 stadiums of Euro 2024.