On the evening of Thursday 30 September, Roberto Mancini will announce his squad list for the UEFA Nations League finals, which will take place in Italy. The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan will host the first semi-final between Italy and Spain on Wednesday 6 October, while, on Thursday 7 October, France and Belgium will face off in Turin. The Nations League trophy will then be handed out on Sunday in Milan, with Turin set to host the third-place playoff.

The National team will meet up on Sunday evening at the Suning Centre (Appiano Gentile) and will remain in Milan until their match against Spain, after which they’ll head to Coverciano. Depending on their semi-final result, they’ll then head to either Milan or Turin to take to the pitch on Sunday 10 October.

ITALY VS. SPAIN. Italy and Spain have met 38 times in total, with the Azzurri having won eleven, drawn 16 and lost eleven of those fixtures. In terms of encounters in Italy, the Azzurri have the edge with five wins compared to two. Eight draws complete the picture. Spain, meanwhile, have generally had the upper hand when they’ve played on home soil (six victories compared to one Italy win). The National Team are set to play for the 58th time in Milan, the city where they first took to the pitch (15 May 1910, a 6-2 victory over France at the Arena Civica) and played in blue (against Hungary in 1911) after previously wearing white. Italy haven’t lost in Milan for 93 years and are unbeaten in 28 games at the Meazza. However, they’ve drawn their last five matches there, including the playoff showdown against Sweden, when a 0-0 stalemate meant they missed out on the 2018 World Cup. The team’s last victory in Milan came on 16 October 2012, when Montolivo, De Rossi and Balotelli scored in a 3-1 success against Denmark. Italy vs. Spain has taken place in the city three times: there have been two draws (1924 and 1980) and an Azzurri win (4-0 in 1942).

AZZURRI RECORDS. With their victory over Lithuania, Italy extended their unbeaten run to 37 games. It represents the longest streak in history, with Spain (35 between 2007 and 2009) and Brazil (35 between 1993 and 1995, with an unofficial match not counted) following behind. It’s another world record for Mancini’s men, who previously reached 1168 minutes without conceding (Italy held the record before this: 1134 minutes in 1974) and achieved another first by winning 15 successive Euro matches, qualifying included. Furthermore, they won 13 consecutive fixtures between November 2020 and July 2021, which is a national record. The Azzurri have also gone 22 games without defeat at home, which is an improvement on 21 matches under Bearzot. In 42 matches since the Mancini era began, Italy have won 29, drawn eleven and lost just twice. This means, on average, they’ve picked up 2.33 points per game (98 in total), which represents yet another record and puts the current Head Coach ahead of Pozzo (2.16) and Sacchi (2.13) in this particular leaderboard. Finally, under Mancini, Italy have moved from 20th to 5th in the World Ranking and have extended their streak of 61 home matches without defeat (excluding friendlies): since a 3-2 loss to Denmark in Naples in Euro 2000 qualifying on 8 September 1999, the Azzurri have won 46 and drawn 13 in competitive fixtures.

In three years, Mancini has called up 78 players, 68 of whom he’s sent out to play. Bonucci has made the most appearances (34, for a total of 2,915 minutes), followed by Jorginho (33, although he’s actually played the most minutes – 2,952). There have been 36 debutants, with Scamacca being the last one in September. On an individual level, Bonucci became the Italian who has played the most European Championship matches (18, ahead of Buffon and Chiellini on 17), while Chiellini moved ahead of Zoff in the all-time Azzurri appearance ranking (113, meaning he’s currently in sixth place). With 16 goals, Immobile is currently the most prolific player in the Italy setup.

TICKETS. General ticket sales for the 2021 UEFA Nations League finals have now begun on UEFA.com. Italian authorities have confirmed stadium capacities of 50% for the four-match tournament (37,000 for Milan, 20,000 for Turin). Tickets reserved for the general public will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans can purchase up to two tickets per person.

The price categories available for the general public sales for the UEFA Nations League finals are:
Wednesday 6 October: Italy vs. Spain (San Siro, Milan, 20:45 CET)
Category 3: €10
Category 2: €30
Category 1: €70

Thursday 7 October: Belgium vs. France (Juventus Stadium, Turin, 20:45 CET)
Category 3: €10
Category 2: €20
Category 1: €40

Sunday 10 October: Match for third place (Juventus Stadium, Turin, 15:00 CET)
Category 3: €10
Category 2: €20
Category 1: €40

Sunday 10 October, Final (San Siro Stadium, Milan, 20:45 CET)
Category 3: €10
Category 2: €30
Category 1: €70

Schedule (all times CEST)

Sunday 3 October
Meet-up and molecular tests at the Suning Centre (Appiano Gentile)

Monday 4 October
13:45 – Press conference at the Suning Centre (Appiano Gentile) – player (online)*
17:30 – Training at the Suning Centre (Appiano Gentile) (behind closed doors)**
18:30 – Presentation of the FIGC’s corporate logo at Garage Italia, Milan

Tuesday 5 October
15:45 – Press conference ITALY (online/UEFA) at the Stadio Meazza in Milano
16:30 – Training session ITALY (first 15 minutes open to the press) at the Stadio Meazza in Milano
17:45 – Press conference SPAIN (online/UEFA) at the Stadio Meazza in Milano
18:30 - Training SPAIN (first 15 minutes open to the press) at the Stadio Meazza in Milano

Wednesday 6 October
20:45 – ITALY VS. SPAIN (UNL semi-final) at the Stadio Meazza in Milano. Press conference and transfer to Coverciano to follow

Thursday 7 October
TBC – Training (behind closed doors)** on the Vittorio Pozzo pitch at Coverciano

Friday 8 October
TBC – Press conference PLAYER (online)* at the Coverciano Auditorium  

Saturday 9 October
TBC – Transfer from Florence to X
TBC – Press conference ITALY (online/UEFA)
TBC – Training ITALY (first 15 minutes open to the press)
TBC – Press conference X
TBC – Training X (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Sunday 10 October
ITALY vs. X. Press conference and return to respective clubs to follow

*There will be no access to the two Sports Centres for the media, broadcasters and photographers: the relevant press conferences will take place via Zoom, with accreditation required via the FIGC Accreditations portal.

**The FIGC will distribute press conference and training images to press members who have received match accreditation. The FIGC will provide for the audiovisual filming and distribution of images relating to: i) press conferences and ii) daily training sessions. Contact Massimiliano Reale (FIGC Area Sales) for more information: m.reale@figc.it Tel. 06.8491.3023