Roberto Mancini’s Italy are set to face Spain in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League in October 2021. This was the outcome of the recent draw held at the end of the UEFA Executive Committee in Nyon, which determined Italy’s fate in the Final Four. On 6 October, the Azzurri will face la Furia Roja at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, while the following day the Juventus Stadium in Turin will host the other semi-final between Belgium and France. The final will take place at the Meazza on 10 October, the same day in which the third-place play-off will go ahead in Turin.

Following the European Championship in the summer of 2021, which will see the Stadio Olimpico in Rome host the inaugural match and three others, Italy will once again play host to another key footballing event. The possibility of organising the Final Four was closely linked to the Azzurri’s qualification to the final round, which was achieved after Italy finished top of Group 1 in League A with 12 points. This was the result of three wins and seven draws (seven goals scored and two conceded), with Italy overcoming the Netherlands, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process.

“It'll be a great Final Four,” said Roberto Mancini in his online press conference. “We have four of the best teams in Europe. And in the end, we’ll win. Like us, Spain have a lot of new players and are still putting out a strong team. They have a different style now but are still a really technical side, with a lot of pace out wide. It’ll be a great game.” Mancini hopes that fans will be present in Milan and Turin, “I hope the fans can join us for the Final Phase in the Nations League, and maybe even return to stadiums before that:”

On Monday in Zurich (18:00 CET), Italy - in pot 1 - will find out who else is in their qualifying group for Qatar 2022. To fit in the Final Four of the Nations League in October 2022, the Azzurri will be placed in a group of five teams, and not six. The ten group winners will qualify directly for the tournament, while the final three spots will be contested by the group runners-up and the top-ranked Nations League group winners, who have not qualified automatically.