Two months after the defeat to Switzerland in the round of 16 of the European Championship, Italy will soon return to the pitch for their opening two 2024/25 UEFA Nations League matches. Head Coach Luciano Spalletti has called up 23 players for the away fixtures against France and Israel, which will respectively take place on Friday 6 September at the Parc des Princes in Paris and Monday 9 September at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest.

The new faces in the squad are Leicester defender Caleb Okoli, who took part in a few training camps in 2022, and Atalanta midfielder Marco Brescianini. After a year away, Sandro Tonali is back after serving a suspension for betting breachers, while Moise Kean is also set to return for the first time since November 2023.

In agreement with the player and his club, Luciano Spalletti hasn’t called up Nicolò Barella to allow him to undergo a planned nose operation due to sinus problems.

On Sunday, the Azzurri will gather at the Coverciano Technical Centre, where they will work until Thursday, the day they’ll depart for Paris. Italy will face France on Friday 6 September before travelling to Budapest the following morning. The team will return to Italy (Milan and Rome) after their game against Israel.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham);
Midfielders: Marco Brescianini (Atalanta), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);
Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).

UPDATED FORMAT. 
From September to November 2024, Italy will play six matches against the three opponents in their group. This time around, the League A group winners and runners-up will participate in home-and-away quarter-finals in March 2025, with the winners of these ties qualifying for the Final Four (in June 2025). The team that finishes fourth will be relegated to League B, while the third-place side will be involved in a relegation play-off against a runner-up from League B.

League A
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland
Group A2: ITALY, Belgium, France, Israel
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia

Italy’s 2024/25 UEFA Nations League schedule

6 September 2024: France vs. Italy
9 September 2024: Israel vs. Italy
10 October 2024: Italy vs. Belgium
14 October 2024: Italy vs. Israel
14 November 2024: Belgium vs. Italy
17 November 2024: Italy vs. France

Knockout round play-off draw: November 2024
Knockout round play-offs: 20-25 March 2025
League A quarter-finals: 20-25 March 2025
Final tournament: 4-8 June 2025