When do Italy play next? Nations League and World Cup qualifiers

The Italy national team will not play again until March 2025 after Sunday evening’s 3-1 loss at home to France in the Nations League, but Luciano Spalletti and his team face another series of challenging tests next year as the Azzurri gear up for World Cup qualification.

When do Italy play next? 

The next international break is scheduled for the final two weeks of March, 2025. Both Nations League knock-out matches and the initial European World Cup qualifiers are scheduled for those dates.

As Italy qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals, that takes precedence. The knockout matches are due to take place between March 20 and March 23. The semi-finals will take place on June 4 and 5, with the eventual final on June 8.

Italy will play either Germany, Spain or Portugal in the quarter-finals, and will learn their next opponents at the Nations League quarter-final draw on Friday.

When do 2026 World Cup qualifiers start?

Technically, the first set of European World Cup qualifiers will also begin in the March international break for teams who have been drawn into groups of five.

As Italy will be in Nations League action in March, their World Cup qualifying campaign will instead begin in the September international break in 2025. There will then be more qualifiers in October and November, with the play-offs scheduled for March 2026.