Italy: Andrea Pirlo Faces a Major Test Right Away

All that remains now is the official announcement from the Italian Football Federation, but Andrea Pirlo is set to become the new head coach of the national team: following Pep Guardiola’s definitive “no”—as he opted to take a sabbatical after an intense decade at Manchester City— the path is clear for the former midfielder—a 2006 World Cup champion as a player—who will sign as soon as he reaches an agreement to terminate his current contract with United FC in Dubai.

Pirlo will immediately face a major test in the UEFA Nations League: the continental tournament places the Azzurri in Group 1 of League A alongside France, Belgium, and Turkey. The first match is at home against the Red Devils on September 25, followed by an away game in Turkey on the 28th and another in France on October 2. On October 5, they’ll host Vincenzo Montella’s squad, while the group stage will conclude in November with matches on the 12th against France at home and on the 15th in Belgium.

The French and Belgians were recent standout performers at the 2026 World Cup: the former finished the tournament in fourth place, while the latter came within a hair’s breadth of the semifinals, causing more than a few headaches for the champion Spanish team (Charles De Ketelaere’s goal was the only one conceded by the Red Fury throughout the tournament). Turkey, on the other hand, will be looking for redemption after a disappointing World Cup, effectively over after just two matches, followed by the meager consolation of a victory—which was meaningless for the standings—against the U.S. reserves.

In each group of League A of the Nations League, the top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals, the third-place team will play a relegation playoff against one of the second-place finishers from League B, and the fourth-place team will be directly relegated to League B. It’s important to remember that, as was the case with the last World Cup, the Nations League also represents a last lifeline for national teams that fail to qualify for Euro 2028: just ask Sweden, which made the most of that opportunity last spring.