This morning, the National Team departed for the United States on board an Airbus A330neo ITA Airways, a new generation airliner that is light, quiet and efficient and which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat by 25% compared to previous generation aircraft. The flight will last for eleven hours and 45 minutes, with the team set to arrive in Miami at 17:05 local time (22:05 CET).

Italy are scheduled to play friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador in the next few days: the match against the former will take place on Thursday 21 March (22:00 CET, 17:00 local time) at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the home of Inter Miami, while the game against the latter will be played on Sunday 24 March (21:00 CET, 16:00 local time) at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

ITA Airways will also accompany the Azzurri for their return to Italy. ITA Airways, the flag carrier of Italy, is inextricably tied to the national football team, of which it has been a partner since September 2022, and the world of Azzurri sport, affirming its role as ambassador of Italian excellence.

The ITA Airways aircraft livery is, in fact, Savoy Blue, a colour that symbolises unity and national pride, represents Italian sports as a whole and which we’re so used to seeing our national team play in. The airline’s fleet, which, as of today, consists of 83 aircraft (40 of which are new generation), is completely dedicated to Italian sporting legends. Each aircraft with a blue livery bears the name of a great sportsman of the past. Among these, 14 are former players and coaches who made our National Team truly great: from Riva and Facchetti, two 1968 European champions, and Bearzot and Tardelli, who became world champions in 1982, through to Totti and Del Piero, both part of our 2006 World Cup-winning side, the unforgettable legends Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio, as well as Giorgio Chiellini, who captained the Azzurri to glory at EURO 2020.

“It’s an honour and a privilege for ITA Airways to be a partner of the FIGC and welcome the champions of the Italian national teams on board our planes,” said Andrea Benassi, General Manager of ITA Airways. “Since its inception, ITA Airways has sought to link its brand with Italian sport through its planes, which have a livery that recalls the colour of the Azzurri shirt and bear the name of its most important representatives. Like sportsmen when they compete in competitions around the world, ITA Airways aims to be an ambassador of Italian excellence. We hope that the strengthening of this partnership will be a harbinger for success for both the national team and our company.”

ITA Airways will accompany the national team throughout the US tour, thus building on a collaboration that started in September 2022, when the airline became the official carrier of all the national football teams.