From World Cup qualification to Olympic ambitions. With a decisive play-off against Finland on 1 and 5 December standing between Italy and a place at the next World Cup, the fixture list for the third edition of the UEFA Women's Nations League, which gets under way in March 2027, was unveiled this morning. The Azzurre face a tough opening test away to Denmark, the top seeds in Group 3.

Winning the group would secure Italy a place in both the Nations League Finals and the 2028 Olympic Games. Soncin's side will kick off their campaign against Harder and her teammates on 2 March before hosting Iceland on 6 March. Wales will then visit Italy on 20 April, followed by a trip to Iceland on 24 April. The campaign concludes with two fixtures in June: an away match against Wales on 11 June and a final home encounter with Denmark on 15 June.

 

THE OPPONENTS. Italy will face two familiar opponents from the last edition of the Nations League: Denmark and Wales. Soncin's side suffered a 3-1 defeat to Denmark, ranked tenth in the FIFA World Rankings, in La Spezia before bouncing back with an emphatic 3-0 away win, their first-ever victory on Danish soil. The teams subsequently drew both of their World Cup qualifying encounters, with Denmark topping the group ahead of Italy to secure their place at the tournament in Brazil. The Azzurre also recorded two wins over Wales, adding to their previous victories in 1978, 2018 and 2019. Italy's most recent meeting with Iceland ended in a 1-1 draw at the European Championship four years ago.

LEAGUE A FORMAT. Only the winners of the four League A groups will advance to the semi-finals in October 2027, securing qualification for the Olympic Games in the process. The group stage will also determine promotion and relegation between the leagues ahead of the UEFA Women's EURO 2029 qualifiers.

Each team will play every opponent in their group once at home and once away. The top two teams in each group will retain their League A status for qualifying for the 15th edition of the European Championship. The third-placed teams will face the runners-up from the League B groups in play-offs, with the winners competing in League A and the losers in League B. Teams finishing bottom of their groups will be automatically relegated to League B.

LEAGUE A GROUPS

Group 1: Spain, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland
Group 2: France, England, Austria, Portugal
Group 3: Denmark, ITALY, Iceland, Wales
Group 4: Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Scotland

GROUP 3 FIXTURES

Tuesday 2 March: Denmark vs ITALY, Wales vs Iceland

Saturday 6 March: ITALY vs Iceland, Wales vs Denmark

Tuesday 20 April: Iceland vs Denmark, ITALY vs Wales

Saturday 24 April: Denmark vs Wales, Iceland vs ITALY

Friday 11 June: Denmark vs Iceland, Wales vs ITALY

Tuesday 15 June: Iceland vs Wales, ITALY vs Denmark