Italy hosts Belgium in the UEFA Nations League

After Italy and Belgium began a new chapter under new managers, the two teams will open their campaign in the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League with a high-stakes encounter on Friday evening at the Stadio Olimpico.

The match is part of the first round of Group 1 in League A, which also features France and Turkey, and is the first of four matches each team will play over the next two weeks.

Italy begins a rebuilding phase after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time following its defeat in the playoffs.

Norway topped its group comfortably ahead of Italy before Italy defeated Northern Ireland in the playoff semi-finals, only to lose to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in a dramatic match.

Despite winning the European Championship five years ago, Italy, a four-time world champion, has not participated in the World Cup since the 2014 edition, leading Gennaro Gattuso to pay the price for the latest failure by leaving his position.

After three years away from the Italian national team to manage Saudi Arabia, Roberto Mancini, who won Euro 2020 with Italy, has returned to the helm. He will lead his country through the upcoming phase toward the next European Championship.

Meanwhile, Dutch manager Marc van Bommel will begin his tenure as head coach of the Belgian national team with a match against Italy.

Van Bommel, former manager of PSV Eindhoven, VfL Wolfsburg, and Antwerp, has taken charge of Belgium and faces a series of difficult matches over the next two weeks.

In another development, Spain’s visit to Wembley Stadium on Saturday serves as a painful reminder for England of a match that could have been fiery for the “Three Lions,” but manager Thomas Tuchel needs a positive response to silence the criticism that followed the end of his World Cup campaign.

A full crowd of 90,000 spectators is expected at the match on Saturday, and Tuchel desperately needs to give them a reason to believe he is the man who can finally lead England to its first major title since 1966.