The road to Brazil 2027 starts up again. Four months after the final match of their World Cup qualifying group, where they finished second behind Denmark, the Italy women's national team are ready to return to action against Belarus in the first round of the play-offs. They face the side ranked 52nd in the FIFA standings over two legs. The first leg will be played on Friday 9 October at 5.15pm Italian time on Rai 2 at the David Petriashvili Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia, with the return on Tuesday 13 October at 5.15pm on Rai 2 at the Artemio Franchi in Florence. Italy must come through that tie to set up a decisive meeting at the start of December with the winners of the play-off between Finland and Serbia.
Getty ImagesFederico Zanon
World Cup play-offs, 28 called up for the first round against Belarus. Rosucci and Serturini return to the squad
Rosucci and Serturini are back
After missing out on direct qualification, the Azzurre must now negotiate the play-offs to book their ticket to the World Cup in Brazil, where VAR will be used unlike in the group stage. The 32 European national teams involved will battle for the final seven places, plus one spot in the intercontinental play-offs, at the 10th edition of the tournament, the first to be hosted by a South American country. Twenty-eight players will take part in the training camp, which gets under way on Sunday at Coverciano. The main new faces are Martina Rosucci and Annamaria Serturini, both back in the group after more than a year away, with the latter available again after a cruciate ligament rupture. Astrid Gilardi and Elisa Polli also return.
The Franchi brings good luck
Andrea Soncin's side will train at the Federal Technical Centre until Wednesday 7 October, when they leave for the Georgian capital. The Belarusian federation, forced since 2022 to stage home matches at neutral venues, have chosen the city to host the game, the first meeting between the two national teams. On the morning of Saturday 10 October, Italy will return to Florence and resume preparations for the match at the Franchi, a ground that holds only good memories. As well as the 1-1 draw with England in a 1995 friendly, the Azzurre beat Portugal 3-0 there in 2018 and thrashed Israel 12-0 in 2021, results that secured qualification for the 2019 World Cup and Euro 2022.
The call-ups
Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Roma), Francesca Durante (Como 1907), Astrid Gilardi (Como Women), Laura Giuliani (Stuttgart);
Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (Inter), Valentina Bergamaschi (Roma), Lisa Boattin (Houston Dash), Federica D’Aurica (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Washington Spirit), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elisabetta Oliviero (Roma), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Angelica Soffia (Milan);
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Real Madrid), Giulia Dragoni (Chelsea), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Giada Greggi (Roma), Eva Schatzer (Juventus), Annamaria Serturini (Juventus), Emma Severini (Fiorentina);
Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (San Diego Wave), Michela Cambiaghi (Inter), Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit), Cristiana Girelli (Bay FC), Benedetta Glionna (Inter), Martina Piemonte (Roma), Elisa Polli (Inter).
The programme
Sunday 4 October
Meet at Coverciano
Monday 5 October
1.30pm Head coach press conference
4.00pm Training session (open)
Tuesday 6 October
3.30pm Training session (first 15 minutes open to the media)
Wednesday 7 October
10.30am Training session (closed)
3.30pm Flight to Tbilisi
Thursday 8 October
6.15pm local time (4.15pm Italian time) MD-1 training session at the David Petriashvili Stadium in Tbilisi
Friday 9 October
8.15pm local time (6.15pm Italian time) Belarus v ITALY (live on Rai 2)
Saturday 10 October
11.30am local time (9.30am Italian time) Flight to Florence
5.00pm Training session (first 15 minutes open to the media)
Sunday 11 October
10.30am Training session (closed)
Monday 12 October
3.30pm MD-1 press conference with the head coach and a player at the Franchi Stadium in Florence
5.00pm MD-1 training session at the Franchi Stadium in Florence
Tuesday 13 October
6.15pm ITALY-Belarus (live on Rai 2)
Delegation disbanded after the match
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