5 hours ago
4
This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2025 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two teams each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 2 July.
Overview
“The feeling is the same as in 2019,” says Cristiana Girelli, one of the main protagonists of the World Cup that changed the history of Italy’s women’s national team. That was the year Italy topped their group ahead of Australia and reached the quarter-finals.
Then there were the debacles of the 2022 Euros and the following year’s World Cup – but things are looking up again. The arrival of Andrea Soncin in September 2023 has led to a slow and perhaps surprising rebirth of the team. There has not been a revolution but he has gradually transformed the team’s look with a modest generational change that has brought new faces to the squad while also re-evaluating the old guard.
The Soncin era began with a Nations League campaign in which Italy finished second behind Spain but recorded a historic 3-2 triumph against the world champions, leading to some of the optimism currently surrounding the squad. That sense of positivity built further during the Euro qualifying campaign where Italy finished top of their group ahead of the Netherlands.
Soncin’s Italy is a fluid team, especially on the wings. He prefers a formation that often looks like a 3-5-2 but can easily be transformed into a 3-4-3 or even a 4-3-3 when needed. The wingers/wing-backs are key here, oscillating between being part of a midfield five or an attacking trident or, indeed, operating as full-backs.
Sadly Soncin has been deprived of the midfielder Giulia Dragoni’s services after a late-season injury but in better news Cecilia Salvai is back and able to make her imposing presence felt in central defence.
Italy finished their latest Nations League campaign strongly, beating Denmark 3-0, drawing 0-0 with Sweden before a emphatic 4-1 win over Wales. If anything can be read into teams’ pre-Euros form then the takeaway from Italy is that they are ready to compete against anyone.
The coach
Some eyebrows were raised when Andrea Soncin was appointed as Milena Bertolini’s successor after the 2023 World Cup. Soncin mainly had two spells as caretaker for Venezia men’s team on a CV but he has improved the team’s performances and results in his time in charge. “It’s not ‘women’s football’, it’s ‘football’,” he told the Italian FA website in December. “Relational, psychological and motivational aspects can differ between the men’s and women’s games, but the desire to win, the passion and technical/tactical aspects are the same.” During his long playing career, which included spells at Torino, Atalanta and Ascoli, Soncin was given the nickname “the cobra” by one of his coaches, Serse Cosmi.
Star player
She can’t stop scoring – and she won’t stop scoring. At the age of 35 Cristiana Girelli is still Italy’s best attacking threat. With 58 goals scored for the Azzurre at the time of writing, she has three in the past three games. Girelli continues to show that age is only a number for such natural strikers. Not only the best scorer for the national team, she is also a born leader with an attitude that earned her the captain’s armband. Perhaps the most important thing with the Juventus striker is that her quality and desire shines through whether she starts or is on the bench. A fantastic header of the ball she seems able to find the net from any position or angle in the box.
after newsletter promotion
One to watch
Having won the award for the best Serie A forward in 2024-25 Sofia Cantore has introduced herself to the Italian public but a wider audience will learn more about her soon enough. With 11 goals and seven assists during the past campaign, the 25-year-old’s name and, above all, talent are now transcending the Italian borders as the she breaks records, barriers and expectations, shaping the future of Italian women’s football. With the lightning-fast speed of a winger and the ruthless coolness in front of the goal of a striker, Cantore is likely to impress this summer and has just been signed by NWSL side Washington Spirit.
Probable lineup
Status of domestic top flight
Having gone professional for the 2022-23 season, Serie A Women is now continuing to take steps on a long journey of growth and evolution. The championship – which in the next season will return to having 12 teams, up two from the past three seasons, and won’t be divided into two groups halfway through – continues to attract more and more fans, both in stadiums and in front of TVs. Viewing figures, particularly on free-to-air channels, has recorded a 130% increase in share for matches broadcast on channels such as LA7 or RaiSport. Live attendances have also enjoyed significant growth as teams have played more games at their main stadia, such as the Juventus Stadium or the San Siro. However, there is still a long way to go. Interestingly, three teams in next season’s top flight have yet to be incorporated into their men’s clubs: Como, Napoli and newly promoted Ternana.
Realistic aim in Switzerland
Having been drawn in a challenging group with Spain, Portugal and Belgium, Italy’s aim will be to reach the knockout stage and if they succeed they will look to make their mark among Europe’s elite.
The Italy team guide was written by Rita Ricchiuti and Giuseppe Berardi for L Football.
