Italy Women's National Team Prepares for World Cup Qualifying Play-offs

The Italy women's national football team is preparing for its opening matches in the World Cup qualifying play-offs for the tournament to be held in Brazil. After finishing second in their qualifying group behind Denmark and missing out on direct qualification, Andrea Sonchin's squad must now navigate the play-offs to secure a ticket to the World Cup. The team's upcoming challenges and squad changes are under the spotlight. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

It is reported that in the first round of the play-offs, the Italian national team will face Belarus, currently ranked 52nd in the FIFA rankings. The first leg of this two-legged tie will take place on October 9 at the David Petriashvili Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia, serving as a neutral venue. The return leg will be held on October 13 at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence. The match was scheduled in Tbilisi because the Football Federation of Belarus has been forced to play its home matches on neutral ground since 2022.

Experienced players return to the squad

Head coach Andrea Sonchin has called up 28 players for the training camp starting at the Coverciano base ahead of these matches. Notable new faces include Martina Rosucci and Annamaria Serturini, who have returned to the squad after long absences. In particular, Annamaria Serturini is back in the ranks for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury—a torn cruciate ligament. Astrid Gilardi and Elisa Polli have also received call-ups to the national team.

According to the Italian Football Federation, the team will train at the Federal Technical Center in Coverciano until October 7 before heading to the Georgian capital. On the morning of October 10, the players will return to Florence to continue preparations for the return leg at the Artemio Franchi Stadium. This arena has always been lucky for the Italians, having previously hosted major victories over Portugal and Israel.

Crucial stages ahead

If the Italian national team successfully overcomes the Belarus hurdle, they will face the winner of the play-off between Finland and Serbia in a decisive match in early December. 32 European national teams are competing for the final seven spots for the first-ever World Cup held in South America, as well as one place in the intercontinental play-offs. Notably, unlike the group stage, the VAR system will be used in this World Cup.

The extended squad called up for this Italian national team training camp consists of the following players:

• Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi, Francesca Durante, Astrid Gilardi, Laura Giuliani;
• Defenders: Elisa Bartoli, Valentina Bergamaschi, Lisa Boattin, Federica D’Aurica, Lucia Di Guglielmo, Martina Lenzini, Elisabetta Oliviero, Martina Rosucci, Cecilia Salvai, Angelica Soffia;
• Midfielders: Arianna Caruso, Giulia Dragoni, Manuela Giugliano, Giada Greggi, Eva Schatzer, Annamaria Serturini, Emma Severini;
• Forwards: Barbara Bonansea, Michela Cambiaghi, Sofia Cantore, Cristiana Girelli, Benedetta Glionna, Martina Piemonte, Elisa Polli.