Gennaro Gattuso's first matches. Italy announce squad for World Cup qualifiers

Luciano Spalletti was dismissed from his position as head coach of the Italian national team in June this year, and his successor, Gennaro Gattuso, is gearing up for his debut matches, having just announced his squad for the upcoming fixtures.

Details: The official Italy national team page on X (formerly Twitter) published the full list of players who will prepare for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. Notably, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is currently not featuring for PSG and is reportedly preparing for a move to another club, made the cut. In total, 28 players have been called up.

Italy will play two crucial qualifiers: first, a home clash against Estonia on September 5, followed by a match against Israel on September 8. Both games are scheduled to kick off at 20:45 Central European Time.

At the moment, Italy sit third in their group, which currently leaves them outside the qualification zone for the World Cup. These upcoming matches could prove pivotal for the entire qualifying campaign.

Reminder: The Italian Coaches Association recently sent an official letter to the Italian Football Federation, urging them to boycott the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Israel.