After missing out on a place in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals in Wales, Alberto Bollini's Italy U19 side will return to action tomorrow at 15:00 CEST, at Bangor City Stadium, where they will face Denmark in the UEFA play-off, the first step towards qualification for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

A 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in Bangor two days ago, despite a determined display and plenty of chances, combined with Croatia's 3-0 victory over Serbia in the other Group B fixture in Caernarfon, saw Italy slip to third place with four points. They finished level on points with Croatia but behind them on goals scored (4 to 2), with both sides ending the group stage on a +1 goal difference following their 0-0 draw on 2 July. Denmark finished third in Group A with three points, behind Spain (9) and Germany (6) – losing 3-0 to Spain on 1 July and 4-3 to Germany on 28 June in Denbighshire – but ahead of hosts Wales after a 3-0 win in their final group match on 4 July.

This marks Italy's fourth group-stage exit at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship after 2004, 2010 and 2019. On the first two occasions, the tournament was also a qualifier for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In 2004, in Switzerland, Italy finished third in Group A with four points behind Switzerland and Ukraine (both on five) but ahead of Belgium (one), still securing qualification for the 2005 tournament in the Netherlands. In 2010, in France, they finished bottom of Group B without a point, behind Spain (9), Croatia (6), and Portugal (3), missing out on qualification for the 2011 edition in Colombia. This will therefore be the first time Italy U19 have contested a play-off to earn a place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

For Bollini, the challenge now is to turn disappointment into motivation. "I told the boys 'well done' for the way they conducted themselves, their attitude and determination throughout this tournament," he told Vivo Azzurro TV, the FIGC's OTT platform, where the full interview is available. "Against Ukraine, we did everything possible to reach a semi-final that we deserved. When a team controls the game and creates so many chances, it means the performance was good. The regret is that we didn't make the most of the opportunities we created. That's something we have to take responsibility for."

The Italy coach also explained the team's focus in recent days: "Our priority has been to bring the group back together mentally. The players have responded well, and we're now fully focused on a hugely important match."

He also paid tribute to the opposition. "Denmark showed their quality by winning a difficult Elite Round group (Group 4, ed.), but we've also had an important journey to get here. We need to stay focused, stick to our football and give everything for this shirt. There's a lot at stake, but we have to approach it without anxiety and fearlessly."

Following the morning training session at the Penmaenmawr Phoenix FC training ground, Bologna goalkeeper Massimo Pessina, born in 2007, summed up the mood in the camp: "We've been a bit down over the last few days, but tomorrow brings another hugely important match. The group is thinking positively again. Denmark are a strong team that we faced two years ago in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-final (Denmark 0-1 Italy, 2 June 2024). They're well organised and have some very talented players. The key will be staying focused throughout the game, and together we'll find a way to win."

As the next FIFA U-20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Azerbaijan (UEFA) and Uzbekistan (AFC), the winners of the European play-off will then face the fourth-placed team from the AFC U-20 Asian Cup in a single-leg intercontinental play-off for a place at the World Cup. Qualification for the Asian tournament begins on 31 August, while the finals will take place in China from 24 March to 10 April. The date, venue, and kick-off time of the play-off will be confirmed in due course.

THE OPPOSITION. Mads Lyng's Denmark are making their third consecutive appearance at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals after qualifying for the 2024 and 2025 editions. Their journey to Wales began in the first qualifying round, held in Switzerland from 12 to 18 November, where they topped Group 10 with six points, level with Sweden and the hosts but ahead on goal difference (+12 compared to Sweden's +2 and Switzerland's -3), while San Marino finished bottom without a point. In the Elite Round, staged in Czechia from 25 to 31 March, Lyng's side topped Group 4 with seven points, finishing ahead of Belgium (4), Czechia (3) and Latvia (3).

One of the standout talents in the squad is Lecce forward Hjalte Morel Lærke, born in 2007. Having joined from Helsingør last summer, he enjoyed a season of 38 appearances, five goals and eleven assists for Lecce's Under-20 side.

Italy and Denmark have met three times at Under-19 level, with the Azzurrini winning two of those encounters. Their most recent meeting came on 16 October 2018, when Federico Guidi's Italy, Guidi was Roma Under-20 head coach last season, secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Gabriele Corbo in the third and final matchday of the first qualifying round's Group 2.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: 1. Tommaso Vannucchi (Cosenza), 22. Massimo Pessina (Bologna);

Defenders: 3. Matteo Cocchi (Inter), 4. Federico Nardin (Roma), 5. Andrea Natali (AZ Alkmaar), 6. Cristiano De Paoli (Como), 13. Francesco Verde (Juventus), 19. Mattia Marello (Inter), 21. Niccolò Rizzo (Juventus);

Midfielders: 7. Federico Coletta (Benfica), 8. Emanuele Sala (Milan), 10. Mattia Liberali (Catanzaro), 14. Christian Comotto (Spezia), 15. Samuel Wiafe (Modena), 16. Matteo Mantini (Grasshopper);

Forwards: 2. Javison Osarumwense Idele (Atalanta), 9. Jamal Iddrissou (Inter), 11. Mattia Mosconi (Inter), 17. Destiny Onoguekhan Elimoghale (Juventus), 20. Antonio Arena (Roma).

Staff – Head Coach: Alberto Bollini; Head of Delegation: Gianfranco Serioli; Youth National Teams Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Assistant Coach: Christian Maggio; Goalkeeping Coach: Graziano Vinti; Fitness Coach: Nicolò Varesco; Match Analyst: Luca Dalmasso; Team Doctors: Andrea De Fazio and Francesco Maria Nifosì; Nutritionist: Dennis Dell'Unto; Physiotherapists: Giuseppe Galli and Simone Siciliano; Club Italia Scout: Alessandro Musicco; Administration, Finance and Control: Antonio Martuscelli; Press Officer: Alessandro Paoli; Team Secretary: Aldo Blessich.

UEFA European Under-19 Championship Wales 2026

UEFA European Under-19 Championship Wales 2026 | Finals

Group Stage (28 June-5 July)

Group A: Wales, Denmark, Germany, Spain
Group B: Croatia, Serbia, ITALY, Ukraine

Matchday 1

Sunday 28 June
Wales 0-7 Spain
Germany 4-3 Denmark

Monday 29 June
ITALY 2-0 Serbia
Croatia 1-3 Ukraine

Matchday 2

Wednesday 1 July
Denmark 0-3 Spain
Wales 0-4 Germany

Thursday 2 July
Croatia 0-0 ITALY
Serbia 1-2 Ukraine

Matchday 3

Saturday 4 July
Denmark 3-0 Wales
Spain 4-0 Germany

Group A standings: Spain 9, Germany 6, Denmark 3, Wales 0.

Sunday 5 July
Ukraine 1-0 ITALY
Serbia 0-3 Croatia

Group B standings: Ukraine 9, Croatia 4 (+1; 4), ITALY 4 (+1; 2), Serbia 0.

Knockout Stage (8-11 July)

FIFA U-20 World Cup Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan 2027 Play-Off (Wednesday 8 July)

15:00: Denmark v ITALY, Bangor City Stadium, Bangor

Semi-finals (Wednesday 8 July)

SF1) 17:30: Spain v Croatia, Central Park, Denbigh
SF2) 20:00: Ukraine v Germany, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Final (Saturday 11 July)

20:00: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

NB: All kick-off times are in CEST (Central European Summer Time).