Italy plan February training camp ahead of Copa play-off | OneFootball

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC, in its Italian acronym) expects to receive authorization from its clubs to organize a training period for the ‘Azzurra’ in February in preparation for a possible playoff for the 2026 World Cup, its president indicated this Thursday (16).

“Appealing to the sensitivity of Serie A, there is a possibility of organizing a training period of at least two days, on February 9 and 10, so that there is a gathering [of the national team] between November and March,” explained FIGC president Gabriele Gravina during a press conference.

“It seems there is an open window to discuss this, but we still have two matches to play […] We will reflect better after [the two games] on what will need to be done,” he added.

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After the 3-0 victory over Israel on Tuesday, Italy has secured, at worst, a second-place finish in Group I of the qualifiers.

Theoretically, they can still finish first and secure direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, ahead of Norway, if they win their last two matches, including the clash against Erling Haaland’s team on November 16 at San Siro stadium.

But Norway, which has a three-point lead over the ‘Azzurra’, has a goal difference of 26, compared to Italy’s 10.

The prospect of playing in the playoffs brings back terrible memories for Italians. The ‘Azzurra’ missed the last two World Cups after being defeated by Sweden in the playoffs for the 2018 World Cup, and by North Macedonia in 2022.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.