The second leg of the Azzurre's first-round FIFA Women's World Cup play-off against Belarus will be played at the Artemio Franchi in Florence, kicking off on Tuesday 13 October at 18:15 CEST. The first leg will be played four days earlier at a venue yet to be confirmed.

 

The Azzurre will be making their fourth appearance at the Florentine stadium, where they have enjoyed some memorable moments in recent years. Following a 1-1 draw in a friendly against England in 1995, Italy recorded a 3-0 victory over Portugal in 2018 and a 12-0 win against Israel in 2021, results that secured qualification for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and UEFA Women's EURO 2022 respectively.

Should Andrea Soncin's side beat Belarus, who are 52nd in the FIFA Women's World Ranking (Italy are 13th), they will face either Finland or Serbia in the second round of the play-offs. Italy met Finland during the qualification campaign for UEFA Women's EURO 2025, while Serbia were beaten home and away earlier this year during World Cup qualifying.

The second-round ties are scheduled for 1 and 5 December, with the Azzurre set to play the second leg at home.

FIRST ROUND PLAY-OFFS

Path 1

  • Lithuania vs Sweden

  • Romania vs Norway

  • Greece vs England

  • Croatia vs Iceland

  • Kazakhstan vs Republic of Ireland

  • Kosovo vs Austria

  • Hungary vs Netherlands

  • Belarus vs Italy

Path 2

  • Albania vs Wales

  • Türkiye vs Slovenia

  • Slovakia vs Ukraine

  • Israel vs Switzerland

  • Belgium vs Poland

  • Czechia vs Scotland

  • Northern Ireland vs Portugal

  • Finland vs Serbia

SECOND ROUND PLAY-OFFS

  • Slovakia/Ukraine vs Greece/England

  • Finland/Serbia vs Belarus/Italy

  • Northern Ireland/Portugal vs Croatia/Iceland

  • Albania/Wales vs Romania/Norway

  • Israel/Switzerland vs Kosovo/Austria

  • Czechia/Scotland vs Lithuania/Sweden

  • Belgium/Poland vs Kazakhstan/Republic of Ireland

  • Türkiye/Slovenia vs Hungary/Netherlands