With four FIFA World Cup crowns to their name, as well as a couple of UEFA European Championship successes, Italy can rightly boast being among the most successful national teams in the history of the game.
FIFA World Cup History
Italy played their first competitive international match in 1910 when they secured a fine 6-2 win over France in Milan.
Back-to-Back Winners
The Italy national football team did not enter the first FIFA World Cup tournament in 1930 but subsequently won both the 1934 finals, which they also hosted, and the 1938 competition, with legends including Silvio Piola and Giuseppe Meazza proving pivotal.
It wasn't until 1970 that Italy once again made a significant impact on the tournament, and on this occasion, they fought all the way to the final in Mexico before they were eased aside by an unstoppable Brazil side, losing 4-1 in the final.
Success in Spain
Italy won their third World Cup in 1982 by beating West Germany in the final with goals from Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli, and Alessandro Altobelli, seeing them to victory in Madrid.
At Italia 1990, they were unfortunate to finish in third place with the team winning six and drawing one of their seven matches in the tournament, with Azeglio Vicini's side losing on penalties to Argentina in the semi-finals.
Four years later, they suffered an even more painful penalty shoot-out defeat, losing to Brazil in the final after a goalless draw in the United States.
Italy struggled in both 1998 and 2002, but in Germany in 2006, they pulled off a miraculous success against all odds.
Penalty Shoot Out Redemption
With a series of outstanding defensive displays, Italy arrived at the final, having conceded just one goal in six games but fell behind to an early Zinedine Zidane penalty. Marco Materazzi leveled before an incident involving the two players saw the French captain sent off.
The Italians then put paid to their penalty shoot-out jinx and lifted their fourth World Cup title.
Since then, Italy have proven very poor, being knocked out at the group stage in both 2010 and 2014 and failing to qualify at all in both 2018 and 2022.
European Championship History
Italy won the first UEFA European Championship tournament that they qualified for, namely the 1968 edition, for which they were also the hosts.
A fourth-place finish followed in 1980, with the finals again hosted in Italy.
They finished as runners-up in both 2000 and 2012, losing to France and Spain respectively.
Euro 2020
Euro 2020, which was delayed by a year, saw Italy once again rise to the occasion, securing their second Euro triumph.
Once again, their defensive displays proved crucial, and the team took on England at the final, which took place at Wembley Stadium in London, and after a 1-1 draw, they won 3-2 on penalties.
Defending Champions
Italy are set to play at UEFA Euro 2024 and the Azzurri will be defending their crown at the event held in Germany.
The Italians narrowly secured automatic qualification, edging Ukraine on head-to-head record. Ultimately though, four wins in eight games proved just enough to get Italy over the line in a group which also contained England, Malta and North Macedonia.
Luciano Spalletti replaced Roberto Mancini as head coach of the Azzurri in September 2023 and oversaw the bulk of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Italy Football Team - National Stadium
The home venue for Italy football team matches varies and isn't consigned to one specific stadium, with the national team choosing to play their games across the country, which works well because there are countless high-quality venues to choose from.
Stadiums that have hosted Italy Games In Recent Years
Milan, San Siro - Capacity 80,018
Naples, Stadio Diego Maradona - Capacity 54,726
Bari, Stadio San Nicola - Capacity 58,270
Rome, Stadio Olimpico - Capacity 70,634
Bologna, Stadio Renato Dall'Ara - Capacity 36,000
Cesena, Stadio Dino Manuzzi - Capacity 23,860
Turin, Juventus Stadium - Capacity 41,507