Italy Women’s European Championship adventure begins today. After finishing the final part of their training camp with a home draw against Spain in Castel di Sangro, this afternoon, the Azzurre will depart from Rome and make their way to Blackburn, where they’ll remain for as long as they remain in this summer’s competition.

After reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in 2019, the girls are hoping to enthuse millions of Italians again. After a month of hard work, first in Appiano Gentile, then at Coverciano and finally in Castel di Sangro, it’s almost time to take to the pitch for tournament football. The Azzurre’s first match will be against France at the New York Stadium in Rotherham at 21:00 CEST on Sunday 10 July, after which they’ll face Iceland (17:00 CEST on 14 July) and Belgium (21:00 CEST on 18 July) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarters, while the final will take place at 18:00 CEST on Sunday 31 July at Wembley, where, of course, the men’s National Team triumphed a year ago.

Head Coach Milena Bertolini is set to experience her first European Championship and has decided to count on many of the players who did so well at the World Cup. There are some new faces, however, compared to that squad, including 22-year-old Sassuolo defender Maria Luisa Filangeri, the youngest team member. 23 players will travel to England, with Juventus being the most represented club (nine) followed by Roma (four), Milan and Fiorentina (three).

After arriving in Blackburn, the Azzurre will get down to work at the Accrington Stanley Community Trust this evening.

UEFA WOMEN’S EURO 2022 – UEFA Women's EURO 2022 will be played from 6 to 31 July in England with 15 other nations joining the hosts. It’s the second time England have staged the competition after 2005, when Germany triumphed. 16 teams are taking part in the tournament, and they’ve been divided into four groups of four. The top two from each group will progress to the quarter-finals, from which straight knockout ties will be played. The games will take place in ten stadiums across the following towns/cities: Brighton & Hove, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Trafford, Wigan & Leigh.  

Squad list:

Goalkeepers: Francesca Durante (Inter), Laura Giuliani (Milan), Katja Schroffenegger (Fiorentina);

Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (AS Roma), Valentina Bergamaschi (Milan), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (AS Roma), Maria Luisa Filangeri (Sassuolo), Sara Gama (Juventus), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (AS Roma);

Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus), Aurora Galli (Everton), Manuela Giugliano (AS Roma), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Flaminia Simonetti (Inter);

Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Agnese Bonfantini (Juventus), Valentina Giacinti (Fiorentina), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Martina Piemonte (Milan), Daniela Sabatino (Fiorentina).