Mancini's fresh 34-man squad marks new era for Italy
In the bustling headquarters of the Italian Football Federation on Friday (18), Roberto Mancini unveiled a 34‑man Italy squad, naming nine debutants for the first four fixtures of his second spell in charge of the Azzurra. The call‑up signals his intent to rebuild a side that has missed the last three World Cups.
Fresh faces and seasoned returnees
The nine newcomers are goalkeeper Massimo Pessina of Bologna, defenders Daniele Ghilardi of Roma, Michael Kayode of Brentford and Eddy Kouadio of Monza, midfielders Alessandro Romano of Cagliari and Issa Doumbia of Sporting Lisbon, and forwards Sebastiano Esposito of Sassuolo, Antonio Vergara of Napoli and Mohamed Ali Zoma of Nuremberg.
Midfielder Nicolò Fagioli and forward Nicolò Zaniolo re‑join the squad for the first time since October 2024, while Rolando Mandragora, who earned a solitary cap in 2018, also makes his comeback.
Upcoming Nations League campaign
Italy’s new era begins with four Nations League Group A1 matches over the next eleven days, starting with a home clash against Belgium in Rome on 35 September, followed by a trip to Bursa to face Turkey three days later, then a visit to Paris to meet France on 2 October, and a final encounter with Turkey in Bologna on 5 October.
The 34‑player roster was posted on the official Nazionale Italiana Twitter account, confirming the selections.
Mancini experiments: Italy beats Turkey and responds to the Belgian
Mancini, 61, replaced Gennaro Gattuso after the latter departed following a defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European World Cup 2026 playoff in March. He previously managed Italy from 2018 to 2023, guiding the side to Eurocopa glory in 2021.
The goalkeeping roster includes Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City) and Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus) alongside Pessina.
Defenders range from Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco to Crystal Palace’s Honest Ahanor, Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori, Paris FC’s Diego Coppola, Napoli’s Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Roma’s Gianluca Mancini and Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini, in addition to the three debutants.
The midfield group features Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), as well as the newcomers Doumbia and Romano, plus Rolando Mandragora (Torino).
Italy seeks advantage in the Nations League against Turkey
Up front, Italy can call on Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter Milan), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara, Sebastiano Esposito, Nicolò Zaniolo and Mohamed Ali Zoma.
The selection reverberates across the football Mundo, as Italy seeks to shed the crisis that has seen them absent from the last three World Cups and restore the Azzurra’s historic stature.