Sweden, Denmark, and Serbia are Italy’s opponents in the qualifiers in the tenth edition of the World Cup, set to take place in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027. The draw, held today in Nyon with head coach Andrea Soncin in attendance, has mapped out the Azzurre’s path to the final tournament. The winners of the four League A groups will qualify directly, along with seven teams that will secure their spot through the two-round play-offs at the end of 2026, while one additional place will be decided through the intercontinental play-offs.

 

Italy aim to come out on top of their group, as they did in the EURO 2025 qualifiers, narrowly beating the Netherlands and Norway. Although the draw avoided a clash with reigning champions Spain and European champions England, the Azzurre still face a demanding road ahead, having to play with the two Scandinavian sides they faced just a few months ago in the second edition of the Nations League, as well as Serbia, ranked 35th in the FIFA Rankings and making their debut in League A of the competition.

“There’s a rush, great energy, and a strong determination to start working towards our journey to Brazil,” said Soncin. “Sweden and Denmark are very strong and we know them well, while Serbia is a team we haven’t faced yet, but they have quality and important players. It will be a tough group.”

THE OPPONENTS. Sweden, third in the FIFA Rankings, come off the back of a disappointing EURO 2025, where they didn’t manage to progress beyond the quarter-finals, and two defeats to Spain in the Nations League semifinals. This will be the fifth meeting between the Swedish side and Soncin’s Azzurre, who, after two draws and two defeats, aim to secure their fifth win ever against the Swedes. The Swedish side have a record of winning in 16 of the 28 encounters. The record against Denmark (14th in the Rankings) is also not promising: the Azzurre have beaten them only five times in 19 matches, although in April they claimed their first-ever win on Danish soil with a convincing 3-0 victory. Italy vs Serbia is almost entirely new territory, as the two teams have only met once before, back in 2003 during the qualifiers for the following year’s European Championship, with the Azzurre winning 8-0.

 

THE RULES. The European qualifiers will determine the UEFA national teams that qualify for the 2027 FIFA World Cup, as well as promotion and relegation for the next edition of the Nations League. The league stage will take place from February to June 2026, with each team playing one home and one away match against every opponent in their group. The four group winners from League A will qualify directly for Brazil, while all other teams must take part in the play-offs, which consist of two rounds played in October and November/December 2026.

The seven best play-off winners, according to the overall European qualifying standings, will earn a place at the World Cup, while the eighth will take part in the intercontinental play-offs scheduled for February 2027.

 

LEAGUE A GROUPS

Group 1: Sweden, ITALY, Denmark, Serbia
Group 2: France, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Ireland
Group 3: Spain, England, Iceland, Ukraine
Group 4: Germany, Norway, Austria, Slovenia