Italy –Participating Teams in the Euro Football 2024 Tournament

Italy head to the 2024 Euro Cup in Germany as the reigning European champions. Can the Italians defy the odds and keep hold of their crown this summer? 

In this in-depth Italy overview, we look back at their gruelling qualifying campaign, check out their current squad, and dive into their expected performances in Germany. Are Gli Azzurri one of the dark horses on German soil?

The Italian Football Team in the Euro Football Tournament

Italy have a great record in major tournaments. The Italians have appeared in ten European Championships and have lifted the trophy twice. They have also been World Cup winners on four occasions. 

They did not enter and failed to qualify for the first two editions, but the Italians were involved on home turf in 1968. After a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia in the final, they won the replay in Rome by two goals to one to secure their first European honour. 

Italy had to wait 52 years for their next Euro Cup triumph. In the unique 2020 edition, which was the 60th anniversary of the competition, the finals were played across Europe in 2021. The Stadio Olimpico in Rome was chosen as one of the venues. 

Italy had an impressive group campaign, winning three out of three to advance to the knockout stage with ease. In game one, an own goal and efforts from Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne gave them an easy 3-0 win against Turkey in Rome. 

Italy then booked their place in the Round of 16 with another comfortable 3-0 victory. They were too strong for Switzerland at the Stadio Olimpico, with Manuel Locatelli (2) and Immobile on target in the capital. 

Italy made sure of top spot with a 1-0 victory over Wales on matchday three, with Matteo Pessina’s first-half goal doing the business in the Italian capital. The Welsh followed Italy through to the knockout phase. 

Gli Azzurri needed extra time to get the better of Austria in the last 16. Pessina was at it again, this time hitting the winner in the 105th minute. It was their first game away from home, with their Round of 16 matchup taking place in front of almost 20,000 at Wembley Stadium in London. 

In the quarter-finals, Italy got the better of Belgium in Munich. It was a tight matchup against the Belgians, but goals from Nicolo Barella and Insigne did the damage.  

They were back at Wembley for their semi-final with Spain. After a 1-1 draw, the tight tie went to penalties. Jorginho scored the winning penalty to put the Italians through to a fourth European Championship final.

England were waiting in the wings at Wembley, and Gareth Southgate’s men were tipped by many to come out on top. Italy had to weather a storm after Luke Shaw’s second-minute goal, and they went level through Leonardo Bonucci’s close-range effort. The final went to penalties, and Bukayo Saka’s miss handed the trophy to Italy. 

The Italians are looking for their third European Cup victory this summer. However, after a tough qualifying campaign, the Italians were seeded into Pot 4 and were drawn into the “Group of Death”. Luciano Spalletti’s side will face Spain, Croatia, and Albania in Group B.

Italy kick off their tournament with a game against the Albanians at the Westfalenstadion on June 15th. With Spain and Croatia to come, a win in Dortmund is imperative. 

After facing Albania, the Spaniards are up next for Italy. Spain are the joint record winners of this competition and head to Germany as one of the tournament favourites. Still, the Italians will back themselves to pick up a positive result at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.

Italy’s third and final Group B game is another tough one. On June 24th, Spalletti takes his side to the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig to face Croatia. The Croatians reached the final of the World Cup in 2018 and finished third in Qatar in 2022.

The top two will automatically go through to the knockout phase, while third place could be enough. Italy will have a great chance of progressing if they can win one of their three Group B games. 

If they manage to beat Spain and Croatia to the top spot, the Italians will make their way to Cologne for their Round of 16 match on June 30th. If they finish second, Italy will play in Berlin on June 29th. 

Italy’s Road to the European Championship 2024

Italy had a difficult qualifying campaign, narrowly going through on the final day of Group C. They went up against rivals England, while Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta were also in the group. 

Italy’s job was made a lot harder when they were beaten by England in Naples on matchday one. Goals from Declan Rice and Harry Kane gave the Three Lions a deserved 2-1 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. 

Italy put a much-needed three points on the board in game two. Two first-half goals were enough for a 2-0 win against Malta at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali. 

Italy’s next game was six months later, as they travelled to Skopje to play North Macedonia. Ciro Immobile gave Italy a second-half lead, but the home team levelled nine minutes from time to snatch a 1-1 draw. 

Italy were on just four points from a possible nine, but there was a pivotal moment in the group when they entertained Ukraine in Milan in September. With the English running away with the group, the battle for second place was between the Italians and the Ukrainians. 

It was a tight and tense matchup at the San Siro, which Italy edged by two goals to one. Rome-born Davide Frattesi was the unlikely hero, scoring both goals in the home win. 

Italy eased past Malta in the next one, with Domenico Berardi scoring twice in a 4-0 romp in Bari. However, they were brought back down to earth with a bump by England three days later, crashing to a 3-1 defeat in front of 83,000 at Wembley Stadium. 

Italy hammered North Macedonia 5-2 in Rome in the penultimate game, setting up a straight shootout for second with Ukraine on the final day. Both teams were level on 13 points, but Italy had the edge on head-to-head points. 

A draw was enough for Italy, but Ukraine needed to beat the Italians to take second. The European champions showed their grit and determination to battle to a 0-0 draw in Leverkusen, which put them through to the Euro Cup finals. 

Overall, Italy picked up 14 points from eight games, winning four, drawing two, and losing two. They scored 16 goals and conceded nine. Frattesi was their top scorer with three goals, while Kane ended up as the group’s leading marksman with eight goals to his name. 

Italy’s Star Players in the Team

Spalletti will take a good look at his squad before making any final decisions. Having taken over in August, the former Roma and Inter Milan boss is still finding out about his players. 

After the surprising departure of popular boss Roberto Mancini halfway through the qualifying campaign, Spalletti was left to pick up the pieces. Qualifying was the aim, and Spalletti pulled it off.  

Italy’s squad has changed a lot since the Euro Cup final. For starters, Bonucci, who netted in the final, is set to retire at the end of this season. Also, his long-term centre-back teammate Giorgio Chiellini retired in 2023. 

In defence, Italy will now turn to the likes of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, and Federico Gatti. In midfield, Jorginho, Davide Frattesi, Giacomo Bonaventura, and Nicolo Barella will no doubt have big roles to play. 

Spalletti will have plenty of attacking options at his disposal when they kick off their championship against Albania in June. Juventus men Federico Chiesa and Moise Kean will be on the plane, while Gianluca Scamacca and Matteo Politano will be pushing for starts.

Arguably, Italy’s most influential player right now is their experienced goalkeeper. Gianluigi Donnarumma is in his mid-twenties but has seemingly been around forever. He won Player of the Tournament at the Euros in 2020 and is highly regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the beautiful game. 

Italy’s Chances of Winning the 2024 European Championship

Italy were not one of the top seeds after a struggle in the qualification campaign, but they can never be ruled out in major tournaments. Only Brazil have won more World Cups, and they have been European champions twice. 

The Italians are notoriously hard to break down and have a strong unit defensively. Getting goals might be an issue in Germany, but Italy will no doubt make themselves tough to beat. 

You can bet on every single game in the Euros, including Italy’s three group matches. We at Unibet will have a comprehensive Euro betting market before and during the tournament, with competitive odds on all matches. Many will be backing Italy to successfully defend their crown, but it will not be an easy ride for Spalletti’s troops.