With the end of the domestic campaign drawing near, the next international break is peaking over the horizon. Find the full Italy national team schedule below as legendary World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon issues a rallying cry ahead of June.
Gianluigi Buffon: Italy Need to “Show a Bit of Arrogance”
After an agonising Nations League penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Germany, Italy’s summer slate will now only see them get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway.
The Azzurri are widely expected to secure safe passage to next summer’s World Cup, set to be staged across three North American countries, but they begin their journey with what could prove to be a difficult test away in Norway.
Their opponents have already racked up six points from their opening two games meaning Italy will need to be perfect from the outset, if they are to close the gap. The Norwegians have been open about the disappointment of missing out on the Euros last year, and given their current cohort is being heralded as its greatest ever squad, they will be hungry for a first World Cup appearance since 1998.
Wary of how sticky an opponent Norway may prove to be, Italy’s Delegation Chief Gianluigi Buffon has urged them to tap into the “arrogance” of door-bolt Italian teams from the past.
“There will be a significant match in June. At some point, you have to show a bit of healthy madness and a bit of arrogance that makes us say ‘We are Italy’ just as we did in France after the Euros. We have to show up and say: ‘We want the World Cup, regardless of you.'”
Speaking after receiving a career award from the Italian Sports Press Union (USSI), the 2006 World Cup winner continued by saying: “I only found true happiness on the pitch; it was where I could truly express myself.
“Then there’s life, where you try not to cause damage and be the right kind of example. This is the legacy that Gigi Riva and Gianluca Vialli left as the Azzurri Delegation Chiefs.”
Gigi Riva was Italy’s Delegation Chief at the 2006 World Cup — the role Buffon now assumes with the national team — while his former Sampdoria teammate Gianluca Vialli was part of the 2020 Euro-winning backroom staff before passing away in 2023.
“There are only a few people in football that I admire on a human level, and Riva and Viall were extraordinary examples.
“I have to stay calm, I could never come close to equalling or even surpassing them. They always taught me to give what I have, and I do it without any mask. I hope it’s enough.”
Italy National Team Schedule
Shortly after the conclusion of the domestic season, international teams will reconvene in the summer.
Italy’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign begins in Oslo against Group I leaders Norway, before they return home to Reggio Emilia to face Moldova, who have lost both of their opening matches.
- Norway vs Italy, June 6 2025
- Italy vs Moldova, June 9 2025
The Azzurri don’t play again until the beginning of September.
