The calendar for women’s 2023 World Cup qualifying was officially confirmed today. Italy Women, who have been drawn alongside Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Moldova and Lithuania in Group G, will kick off their campaign at home to Moldova on 17 September, while they’ll then travel to Croatia four days later.

Qualifying for the final tournament, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand, will thus begin in September 2021 before ending a year later, with the playoffs set for October 2022. The recent draw saw 51 nations divided into nine groups (three groups of five teams and six groups of six). The first-place teams will qualify directly for the finals, while the nine second-place teams will enter into a playoff to secure the final two spots. One other European team will be able to qualify via an intercontinental playoff, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand in the autumn of 2022.

Italy’s World Cup qualifying calendar

GROUP G

Friday 17 September 2021	ITALY - MOLDOVA
Tuesday 21 September 2021	CROATIA - ITALY
Friday 22 October 2021	ITALY - CROATIA
Tuesday 26 October 2021	LITHUANIA - ITALY
Friday 26 November 2021	ITALY – SWITZERLAND
Tuesday 30 November 2021	ROMANIA - ITALY
Friday 8 April 2022	ITALY - LITHUANIA
Tuesday 12 April 2022	SWITZERLAND - ITALY
Friday 2 September 2022	MOLDOVA - ITALY
Tuesday 6 September 2022	ITALY - ROMANIA

World Cup qualifying groups

Group A: Sweden, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Georgia

Group B: Spain, Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary, Faroe Islands

Group C: Netherlands, Iceland, Czech Republic, Belarus, Cyprus

Group D: England, Austria, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Latvia, Luxembourg

Group E: Denmark, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Malta, Montenegro

Group F: Norway, Belgium, Poland, Albania, Kosovo, Armenia

Group G: Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Lithuania

Group H: Germany, Portugal, Serbia, Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria