Women’s Euro 2025 Team Previews | Italy
Having previously been finalists on two occasions back in the 1990s, there’s a bit of optimism again about Italy after impressing in qualifying and with recent performances elsewhere.
Italy have always been seen as a footballing giant as long as we can remember. But in the women’s game, their best major tournament success was finishing as runners-up twice consecutively at the 1993 and 1997 Euros. Plus, they have never made it past the quarter-final stages of a Women’s World Cup.
At Euro 2022, they failed to make it out of the group stages, and then one year later at the World Cup in Australia, they bowed out in the group stages of that tournament in poor fashion. Things needed to improve for the Italians, and after a successful qualifying run that saw them improve defensively, get results and avoid any losses to the Netherlands, Norway and Finland.
Italy often had let themselves down at previous tournaments, with their best European Championships run in recent years being in 2013 getting to the quarter-finals there. It’s been group stage exits ever since that tournament. However, there might be a sense of optimism brewing around the Italians, especially considering that in the last year they have drawn with Spain and beaten Germany as well, plus they did well in a tough Nations League group recently despite not finishing top of that.
Group B opponents and fixtures:
Belgium | 3rd July - 5PM BST
Portugal | 7th July - 8PM BST
Spain | 11th July - 8PM BST
Finishing second in a group with Sweden, Denmark, and Wales, who are three other teams competing at next month’s Euros will have proven to be a good test of how this Italy team could fare against other nations above or around their level right now. Spain will be their biggest challenge, while they may favour their chances against Belgium and Portugal, whom they actually play first before facing the world champions in the final group game.
Squad:
Goalkeepers | Rachele Baldi (Inter), Francesca Durante (Fiorentina), Astrid Gilardi (Como), Laura Giuliani (Milan)
Defenders | Valentina Bergamaschi (Juventus), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Maria Luisa Filangeri (Fiorentina), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (Roma), Elisabetta Oliviero (Lazio), Julie Piga (Milan), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Angelica Soffia (Milan)
Midfielders | Arianna Caruso (Bayern Munich - on loan from Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Eleonora Goldoni (Lazio), Eva Schatzer (Juventus), Emma Severini (Fiorentina), Martina Tomaselli (Inter), Aurora Galli (Everton)
Forwards | Chiara Beccari (Juventus), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Agnese Bonfantini (Fiorentina), Michela Cambiaghi (Inter), Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit), Valentina Giacinti (Rome), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Margherita Monnecchi (Eibar), Martina Piemonte (Lazio)
*This is not Italy’s final Euros squad. The squad list will be updated accordingly once their full 23-player squad is announced.
This Italy team does have a lot of players who can produce that quality needed to win games, and since 2023’s group exit at the World Cup, they have had a bit of a rethink in how they play.
Their squad is dominated largely by players from clubs at the top end of the Serie A Femminile. Teams such as Juventus, Roma and many of the others have players in there, many of whom have had really successful seasons especially with Juventus after their title-winning season. You’re looking at the likes of Cristiana Girelli, Barbara Bonansea, and Lisa Boattin who all played a part in that.
Those three have been fairly important to Italy over the years, as have Manuela Giugliano, Arianna Caruso and Valentina Giacinti. They’ve all amassed a large amount of caps for the Italian national team, which has made their chemistry of being in the squad together all this time a big benefit that could help them out at this tournament.
Player to Watch - Sofia Cantore
If there is one player who deserves more plaudits within this Italy squad, then it is Sofia Cantore. The 25-year-old new Washington Spirit signing had a stellar season with the Italian champions Juventus, scoring 11 goals and grabbing seven assists over 25 games in the league, making her one of the in-form players heading into the Euros for Italy.
In this side, Cantore operates mainly out wide on the right side and she is a very comfortable player when in one-on-one scenarios and being able to either score or create chances for her teammates. She is also a very adaptable player as well, which makes her well-suited to how Italy want to set up and play.
Her and Cristiana Girelli were contributing on the goal front at Juventus this previous season, and now they’ll be hoping to do the same for Italy at a major tournament. If Cantore gets the chance to exploit any spaces, then she will look to do so and prove to be a big asset to her team.
Manager - Andrea Soncin
He was appointed head coach of the Italy women’s national team in September 2023 after the disappointment of the nation’s World Cup showing. In the time he has been in charge, Italy has looked like a team that may have made some good progress despite his coaching inexperience prior to his appointment.
This is the only job he has ever had in international football, having been a caretaker with Italian side Venezia on two occasions. He’s also a coach who has wanted his Italy side to be energetic and very versatile as well, but always wants to make sure that they are still in games and able to make it tough for their opposition to break them down.
Italy have looked rather competitive in games under his coaching and has tried to bring out a positive change in the environment of the Italian women’s national team and bring about more of a determined mindset where this team now feels like it can push forward and do well at major tournaments again.
How will they do?
This is the first major tournament for Italy under Andrea Soncin, which makes this the first real big test for him and whether his coaching has had enough of an impact on them to which they can think they can aim to go far in this tournament.
It’s not an easy group for them to navigate, but they have a chance to benefit from the fact that they face Belgium and Portugal to begin with. It’s that game against the Red Flames, which might be the most crucial to win out of the two so that they start off positively.
It feels like this could be a big tournament for Italy as well just in being able to further boost the profile of women’s football in the country as well. With the league going under a change for next season, seeing some sort of positive success with the national team could help elevate things and put more eyes on some of the players involved there.