The dream is to make it to Wembley next 31 July, the same stadium that saw Roberto Mancini's Italy triumph and which, in nine months’ time, will also host the final of the Women's European Championship. First of all, however, Milena Bertolini's national team will have other obstacles to overcome, starting with the group stage that will see them take on France, Belgium, and Iceland. This was the outcome of the draw staged this afternoon at the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester under the expectant gaze of the coach who, after the beautiful journey that ended at the quarter-finals stage of the 2019 World Cup in France, will try to bring the Azzurre as far as possible in the final phase of the continental tournament beginning next 6 July in England.

“When we arrive in a competition such as this, all the opponents we meet are strong and prepared”, declared Milena Bertolini. “A difficult path awaits us in which we will compete with a quality team in France, and two other very physical national teams. It will be a very important test for us, but we want to be ready”.

Italy, who were eliminated in the group stage in the last edition of the tournament, played in the Netherlands in 2017, will begin their journey in the European Championship by taking on France on July 10 at the New York Stadium in Rotherham (20:00), while on July 14 (17:00) and on July 18 (20:00) they will play against Iceland and Belgium respectively at the Manchester City Academy Stadium in Manchester.

In the 26 matches played against France, the Italian national team have picked up 14 wins, six losses, and six draws. There have been four successes achieved in the previous seven matches against Iceland, against whom the Italians have never lost. The head-to-head record with Belgium is also positive (six wins, one draw, two defeats), with the two teams last meeting in the qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup.

The European Championship, which kicks off on 6 July at Old Trafford in Manchester, will be played in eight host cities (Brighton & Hove, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, and Wigan & Leigh). The top two in each group will qualify for the Quarter-finals, scheduled from 20 to 23 July in Brighton & Hove, Brentford, Wigan & Leigh, and Rotherham, while the semi-finals will be played on 26 and 27 July in Sheffield and Milton Keynes. For the grand finale, the date is set for 31 July at Wembley.

EURO 2022 Groups

Group A: England, Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland
Group B: Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, Switzerland
Group D: France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland