About Italy

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC), originally known as the Federazione Italiana del Football, was established on 26 March 1898 in Turin, adopting its current name in 1909. Italy joined FIFA in 1905 and became a UEFA founding member in 1954. The national team — known as the Azzurri — wears the iconic blue jersey introduced in 1911 as a tribute to the House of Savoy.

Italy is one of the most successful nations in football history, having won the FIFA World Cup four times: 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006. The 1982 triumph in Spain, led by Paolo Rossi who scored six goals, remains one of the most celebrated in Italian sport. The 2006 victory in Germany, sealed on penalties against France, came despite the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal engulfing Italian club football that same year. Italy also won the UEFA European Championship twice — in 1968 and memorably in 2020 (held in 2021), where they defeated England on penalties at Wembley.

Italian club football is among the richest in the world, with Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan all lifting multiple European Cups. The federation oversees Serie A and the full Italian football pyramid, as well as women's football and youth competitions. The FIGC celebrated its centenary in December 1998 with a match at the Stadio Olimpico between Italy and a World XI, won 6–2 by the Azzurri.