Roberto Mancini begins second stint as Italy coach against Belgium

On Friday, 25 September 2026, Roberto Mancini stepped back onto the Stadio Olimpico in Rome for his first match as Italy’s head coach since leaving the nation in 2023 for a lucrative role in Saudi Arabia.

The Azzurri opened their UEFA Nations League campaign against Belgium in a Group A clash that marks the start of a four‑match stretch across eleven days.

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His comeback follows a period of turmoil: Gennaro Gattuso had resigned after the team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and the federation saw the departure of president Gabriele Gravina and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon.

In the aftermath, the FIGC tried and failed to appoint Andrea Pirlo, citing commercial links to a Russian betting company, before settling on Claudio Ranieri as technical director.

“Speriamo di arrivare in finale, bel gioco e risultati sono la miglior medicina,” said Mancini at the press conference that followed his appointment.

“Le sensazioni sono positive – dichiara Mancini in conferenza stampa – l’Olimpico ci ha sempre accolti bene.”

Mancini, via Agenzia Giornalistica Opinione

Il manager added that the team “speriamo di chiudere con una vittoria questa settimana perfetta”.

In the words of the team’s captain, Gianluigi Donnarumma, “It’s a sensitive subject that affects me a lot, because not qualifying for three World Cups in a row is tough, and Italy certainly doesn’t deserve that.”

“We have to work. The only way forward is to work,” adds Donnarumma.

Donarumma, via Sky Sports

Italy’s decline over the last decade is reflected in data from the CIES Football Observatory.

Between 2020 and 2025, the country produced 413 football “exports”, ranking 24th worldwide.

In 2025, players under 21 were given only 1.9 % of Serie A minutes, the second‑lowest figure among the world’s top 50 leagues.

From June 2025 to February 2026, only one national‑team player was younger than 24 – Inter’s Pio Esposito.

Against this backdrop, Mancini’s first squad for the Nations League contains 34 players, 11 of whom are under 23 and nine who have never earned a senior cap.

• Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus)
• Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)
• Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolo Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham)
• Forwards: Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolo Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Ali Zoma (Nurnberg)

Highlights of the youth cohort include 18‑year‑old Borussia Dortmund striker Samuele Inacio, Crystal Palace defender Honest Ahanor, Brentford full‑back Michael Kayode, and Nurnberg striker Mohamed Ali Zoma. Issa Doumbia of Sporting Lisbon and Cagliari midfielder Alessandro Romano also made their first call‑ups. The squad also retains six members of the Euro 2020 triumph: Donarumma, Bastoni, Di Lorenzo, Barella, Cristante, and Raspadori.

Italy’s Nations League journey will see them face Belgium on 25 September, Turkey in Bursa on 28 September, France at the Stade de France on 2 October, and a home fixture against Turkey at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on 5 October.

Belgium, Italy’s opening opponent, last met the Azzurri at the Stadio Olimpico on 10 October 2024, ending 2‑2 after a 2‑0 lead for Italy. The Dutch‑born Belgian team, now under the guidance of Mark van Bommel, features six Serie A players, including De Winter, Moreira, and De Bruyne.

While the squad’s composition signals a shift toward rejuvenation, the administrative saga that brought Mancini back remains a cautionary tale. The brief, sixteen‑day tenure of Paolo Maldini and Leonardo as technical director, the aborted recruitment of Pep Guardiola, and the fall‑out over Pirlo’s alleged betting ties all underscore the volatility that has plagued Italian football in recent years.