Italy vs Belgium UEFA Nations League 2026/27: Match Preview and Analysis

Italy and Belgium will face each other in a major UEFA Nations League clash on Friday, with both teams starting a new era under different coaches.

Roberto Mancini has returned as Italy’s head coach for a second spell. He previously led the national team until 2023 and will now look to guide them through another Nations League campaign.

The group is expected to be highly competitive, with France and Turkey also in the race for the top positions. Every result could prove important as the teams battle for progress in the tournament.

Belgium will also begin a new chapter, with former player Mark Van Bommel taking charge for the first time. They will hope to put their World Cup quarterfinal exit behind them and start the new campaign on a positive note.

In this article, we will take a quick overview of the upcoming Nations League clash between Italy vs Belgium, so that you can understand how both teams are preparing for the high-stakes contest. Let’s first take a look at the squads of both teams below.

Italy Squad for UEFA Nations League 2026/27

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus)

Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolo Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham)

Forwards: Nicolo Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Esposito (Inter), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolo Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Ali Zoma (Nurnberg)

Belgium Squad for UEFA Nations League 2026/27

Goalkeepers: Jari De Busser (AZ Alkmaar), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Chelsea), Maarten Vandervoordt (RB Leipzig)

Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxime De Cuyper (Brighton), Zeno Debast (Sporting), Koni De Winter (Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Nathan Ngoy (LOSC), Kyriani Sabbe (Club Brugge), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Bologna)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Mandela Keita (Parma), Romeo Lavia (Chelsea), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Manchester United), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge)

Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Malick Fofana (Sunderland), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Newcastle United), Mika Godts (PSG), Romelu Lukaku (Fenerbahce), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Milan), Lois Openda (Lyon), Leandro Trossard (Bestikas)

Italy vs Belgium UEFA Nations League Match Preview

A good start in the Nations League opener will be important for both Italy and Belgium as they look to make it through a difficult group that also includes France and Turkiye.

Italy will have home support behind them in the opening game, and their past meetings with Belgium give them plenty of reason to feel confident. The Azzurri have won six of their eight meetings with the Red Devils, along with one draw and one defeat.

The last meeting between the two sides took place in November 2024 during the Nations League. Italy came away with a 1-0 victory in Brussels, with Sandro Tonali scoring the only goal of the match.

Keeping these stats in view, many fans are backing Italy to dominate the upcoming contest. However, they still cannot underestimate the Belgians, who are also coming into the Nations League on the back of a steady World Cup performance.

Final Words

The upcoming Nations League contest between Italy and Belgium is expected to be a tough encounter, as both teams have reputed stars who can produce match-winning performances. The Italians do have the home advantage, but Belgium also have a settled squad that can challenge them on their own turf. Considering this, fans are quite excited for this clash, as it promises to produce a highly competitive 90 minutes between the two well-known European rivals.