Could Italy lose Inacio? What the rules say, the chance with Turkey and the player’s wishes

Italy could lose Inacio because the talented striker, born in Bergamo on 2 April 2008, is the son of Inacio Pià, the former Brazilian striker who played for Napoli, Atalanta and Catania among others. He therefore holds not only an Italian passport, but a Brazilian one through his father too.

That means the striker still falls 100% into the category of players eligible to answer a call-up from either national team.

Inacio has already made his senior Italy debut. He did so on 3 June 2026, with Silvio Baldini in interim charge on the bench.

That match was Luxembourg v Italy and the former Atalanta player came on for the final minute, but the appearance does not actually count. The match was a friendly and does not rule out the possibility of saying yes to the Brazilian football federation.

Fifa's rules on switching national allegiance, or on the choice made at the time of a first call-up, allow that option throughout a player's youth career up to Under-21 level. Once a player steps into senior international football, the process first becomes more complicated and then irreversible.

THREE APPEARANCES END ANY POSSIBILITY - To be considered eligible solely and exclusively for a single federation, a footballer must make at least three appearances in official matches.

ONE APPEARANCE, SWITCH STILL POSSIBLE - The route remains open, but it becomes complicated after a first official appearance, even if it is only for one minute. A footballer who makes his debut in an official match, before being able to change national team, must wait at least three years from the last match played with the previous federation.

A call-up and a debut in Bologna against Turkey would, for the next three years, complicate any possible switch from Italy to Brazil. Without that debut, though, the Seleçao's pursuit could come back into vogue.

For now, however, one fact still takes priority: the player's own wish. Since childhood, he has dreamed of wearing the Italy shirt and feels solely and exclusively Italian. He has said so in every interview so far, but if that door no longer opens, the chances of a change of heart towards green and gold could still lie on the horizon.