Luciano Spalletti finalised 26-man squad for the 2024 European Championship in Germany a week before the start of the tournament, cutting Riccardo Orsolini, Samuele Ricci and Ivan Provedel from his provisional list.
The former Napoli boss opted to answer the call to replace Roberto Mancini last summer, and he guided the Azzurri to qualification behind England in their group at the end of 2023.
Success against England in the Euro 2020 final ended Italy's long wait for a European title, after losing out at the final hurdle to Spain in 2012 and France in 2000, with their only previous European Championship glory coming way back in 1968.
Italy revealed their final 26-man squad for Euro 2024 on June 6 as head coach Spalletti aims to lead the holders to a title defence in Germany this summer.
The Sporting News looks at their roster and their match schedule for Euro 2024.
MORE: The full schedule and bracket for Euro 2024, updated live
Italy Euro 2024 squad and player roster
Spalletti did not produce too many surprises in his squad selection with the majority of his picks mirroring the names called up for March's friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador.
The big news came in attack, with Gianluca Scamacca rewarded for his sensational form at Atalanta this season just a day after the Italian side emerged victorious in the UEFA Europa League final. Lazio striker Ciro Immobile was not selected, however.
Captain Gianluigi Donnarumma will be the first choice in goal with Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario a back-up option to the Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper. Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel was not selected, partly down to his injury problems during the final months of the season, but he was told to continue training until the competition kicks off for Italy as there are doubts over the fitness of Napoli' Alex Meret.
Vicario's Spurs teammate Destiny Udogie misses out following surgery, leaving Spalletti facing a selection headache at left-back. Uncapped Riccardo Calafiori was rewarded following an outstanding season for UEFA Champions League qualifiers Bologna.
There was an enforced change in the group of defenders prior to Italy's first warm-up match on June 4. Vastly experienced Francesco Acerbi was forced to withdraw due to injury, and on June 2, it was confirmed that young Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini had suffered an ACL tear. Juventus' Federico Gatti was called up as a late replacement. His teammate, Nicolo Fagioli, who recently returned from a seven-month ban for breaching rules on betting, was also included.
Despite some murmurings of a recall for Leonardo Bonucci — who scored in the 2020 final against England — the 37-year-old was not included.
Bryan Cristante is one of Spalletti's midfielders, alongside Arsenal's Jorginho and Inter Milan's title-winning star Nicolo Barella, but Juventus' Manuel Locatelli misses out in another surprising decision.
Ages and caps correct at the start of Euro 2024 on June 14
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Gianluigi Donnarumma | PSG (FRA) | 25 | 62 |
| GK | Alex Meret | Napoli (ITA) | 27 | 3 |
| GK | Guglielmo Vicario | Tottenham (ENG) | 27 | 2 |
| DEF | Alessandro Bastoni | Inter Milan (ITA) | 25 | 23 |
| DEF | Raoul Bellanova | Torino (ITA) | 24 | 2 |
| DEF | Alessandro Buongiorno | Torino (ITA) | 25 | 4 |
| DEF | Riccardo Calafiori | Bologna (ITA) | 22 | 2 |
| DEF | Andrea Cambiaso | Juventus (ITA) | 24 | 4 |
| DEF | Matteo Darmian | Inter Milan (ITA) | 34 | 43 |
| DEF | Giovanni Di Lorenzo | Napoli (ITA) | 30 | 35 |
| DEF | Federico Dimarco | Inter Milan (ITA) | 26 | 19 |
| DEF | Federico Gatti | Juventus (ITA) | 25 | 3 |
| DEF | Gianluca Mancini | AS Roma (ITA) | 28 | 13 |
| MID | Nicolo Barella | Inter Milan (ITA) | 27 | 53 |
| MID | Bryan Cristante | AS Roma (ITA) | 29 | 40 |
| MID | Nicolo Fagioli | Juventus (ITA) | 23 | 3 |
| MID | Michael Folorunsho | Verona (ITA) | 26 | 1 |
| MID | Davide Frattesi | Inter Milan (ITA) | 24 | 15 |
| MID | Jorginho | Arsenal (ENG) | 32 | 54 |
| MID | Lorenzo Pellegrini | AS Roma (ITA) | 27 | 30 |
| FWD | Federico Chiesa | Juventus (ITA) | 26 | 47 |
| FWD | Stephan El Shaarawy | AS Roma (ITA) | 31 | 31 |
| FWD | Giacomo Raspadori | Napoli (ITA) | 24 | 28 |
| FWD | Mateo Retegui | Genoa (ITA) | 25 | 8 |
| FWD | Gianluca Scamacca | Atalanta (ITA) | 25 | 16 |
| FWD | Mattia Zaccagni | Lazio (ITA) | 28 | 5 |
How many players are in Euro 2024 squads?
Teams are permitted to name squads of up to 26 players — an increase of three from the previous tournament rules — with the minimum roster size set at 23.
UEFA regulations do not stipulate how many of those players must be goalkeepers.
Italy Euro 2024 group draw
Italy face a real battle to qualify for the knockout stages after being placed in Group B at Euro 2024, which has been tipped as a 'Group of Death'.
Despite being ranked 9th by FIFA, Italy are in for a challenge alongside Spain (ranked 8th) and Croatia (10th) plus tournament debutants Albania.
MORE: How all the Euro 2024 groups look
Italy Euro 2024 schedule, matches
| Date | Match | Opponent | Venue | Time (ET) |
| June 15 | Group stage MD1 | Albania | Signal Iduna Park | 3 p.m. |
| June 20 | Group stage MD2 | Spain | ArenaAuf Schalke | 3 p.m. |
| June 24 | Group stage MD3 | Croatia | Red Bull Arena | 3 p.m. |
Can Italy replace players on their Euro 2024 roster?
Once the final roster has been made official, changes can only be made due to injury or illness up until the team's opening match of the tournament.
UEFA's tournament regulations state: "Should listed players or goalkeepers become seriously injured or ill, they may only be substituted if both their team doctor and a doctor from the UEFA Medical Committee confirm that the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent them from taking part in the final tournament."
While any outfield players must be replaced prior to their team's opening match, goalkeepers can be changed prior to their next scheduled game once the tournament is underway.