PHOTO
The Under-19 team's European adventure began yesterday evening, when Alberto Bollini's Azzurrini arrived in Wales, host nation for the Euro U19 finals, taking place from 28 June to 11 July.
Their progress is reminiscent of historical form, forged just three years ago in 2023, when Bollini guided Italy back to the continental title for the first time in two decades. That triumph means the coach from Poggio Rusco is now the only one of the eight managers competing in Wales to have previously won the U19 Euros.
Italy booked their place in the finals after finishing top of Group 9 in the first qualifying round, played in Sicily from 12 to 18 November, collecting seven points to finish ahead of Poland (6), Moldova (3) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1). The Azzurrini then went on to top Group 6 of the Elite Round, held in Calabria from 25 to 31 March, again finishing with seven points – level with Turkey but with a superior goal difference (+6 compared to +2) – to progress ahead of Hungary (3) and Slovakia (0).
Before departing for Wales, however, the Azzurrini had to contend with a number of absences, beginning with Borussia Dortmund's two highly rated 2008-born talents, Samuele Inácio and Luca Reggiani. Both players enjoyed outstanding seasons, playing key roles in Massimiliano Favo's U18 side that claimed a historic bronze medal at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar. They were also decisive during the U19 Elite Round in Calabria despite playing above their age group, before making their senior Italy debuts under interim head coach Silvio Baldini during June's international friendlies.
Also unavailable is Torino-owned midfielder Alessio Cacciamani, born in 2007, following a season in Serie B with Juve Stabia. Those absences are joined by midfielders Wisdom Serebour Acquah, the 2007-born Torino player, and Atalanta's 2008-born Federico Steffanoni, both forced to withdraw through injury after taking part in the pre-tournament training camp at Coverciano from 22 to 25 June.
Four players have therefore been called up: 2009-born duo Antonio Arena of Roma and Destiny Onoguekhan Elimoghale of Juventus, together with 2008-born Samuel Wiafe of Modena and Cristiano De Paoli of Como. Arena, De Paoli and Elimoghale, like Inácio and Reggiani, were all part of Italy's squad in Doha that finished third at the FIFA U17 World Cup.
This morning, the Azzurrini completed their first training session in Wales at the Penmaenmawr Phoenix sports complex. At the end of the session, the squad met the club's Allstars, the PAN disability team who come together every week to share their passion for football.
Drawn in Group B, Italy will open their campaign on Monday 29 June (16:00 local time, 17:00 CEST) against Serbia at The Oval in Caernarfon. They will then face Croatia on Thursday 2 July (14:00 local time, 15:00 CEST), again in Caernarfon, before taking on Ukraine on Sunday 5 July (16:00 local time, 17:00 CEST) at Bangor City Stadium. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, scheduled for Wednesday 8 July in Denbigh (16:30 local time, 17:30 CEST) and Wrexham (19:00 local time, 20:00 CEST), while the final will be played on Saturday 11 July (19:00 local time, 20:00 CEST) at the Racecourse Ground.
As well as the European title, qualification for the 2027 FIFA U20 World Cup (to be held in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan) is also at stake. The four semi-finalists will qualify automatically, along with the winner of the play-off between the two third-placed teams, scheduled for Wednesday 8 July (14:00 local time, 15:00 CEST) in Bangor.
SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Tommaso Vannucchi (Cosenza)
Defenders: Matteo Cocchi (Inter), Cristiano De Paoli (Como), Mattia Marello (Inter), Federico Nardin (Roma), Andrea Natali (AZ Alkmaar), Niccolò Rizzo (Juventus), Francesco Verde (Juventus)
Midfielders: Federico Coletta (Benfica), Christian Comotto (Spezia), Mattia Liberali (Catanzaro), Matteo Mantini (Grasshopper), Emanuele Sala (AC Milan), Samuel Wiafe (Modena)
Forwards: Antonio Arena (Roma), Javison Osarumwense Idele (Atalanta), Destiny Onoguekhan Elimoghale (Juventus), Jamal Iddrissou (Inter), Mattia Mosconi (Inter)
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 | Final Stage
Group Stage (28 June – 5 July)
Group A: Wales, Denmark, Germany, Spain
Group B: Croatia, Serbia, Italy, Ukraine
Matchday 1
Sunday 28 June
19:00 – Wales vs Spain | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
21:00 – Germany vs Denmark | Central Park, Denbigh
Monday 29 June
17:00 – Italy vs Serbia | The Oval, Caernarfon
21:00 – Croatia vs Ukraine | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor
Matchday 2
Wednesday 1 July
19:00 – Denmark vs Spain | Central Park, Denbigh
21:00 – Wales vs Germany | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
Thursday 2 July
15:00 – Croatia vs Italy | The Oval, Caernarfon
19:00 – Serbia vs Ukraine | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor
Matchday 3
Saturday 4 July
15:00 – Denmark vs Wales | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
15:00 – Spain vs Germany | Central Park, Denbigh
Sunday 5 July
17:00 – Ukraine vs Italy | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor
17:00 – Serbia vs Croatia | The Oval, Caernarfon
Knockout Stage (8–11 July)
FIFA U20 World Cup Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan 2027 Play-Off
Wednesday 8 July
15:00 – Third-placed team Group A vs Third-placed team Group B | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor
Semi-finals
Wednesday 8 July
SF1 – 17:30: Winners Group A vs Runners-up Group B | Central Park, Denbigh
SF2 – 20:00: Winners Group B vs Runners-up Group A | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
Final
Saturday 11 July
20:00 – Winners SF1 vs Winners SF2 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
NB – All times are in CEST.