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Federico Zanon7 Oct 2026
World Cup Qualification UEFA
At the Coverciano headquarters, the Women’s National Team are continuing their preparations for the crucial meeting with Belarus, the first step on the "new" road to the final phase of the World Cup. The Azzurre know the task: beat the side ranked 52nd in the FIFA Rankings in the two matches scheduled for Friday 9 October in Tbilisi and Tuesday 13 in Florence, both kicking off at 18:15, then put everything on the line at the start of December in the decisive play-off against Serbia or Finland. They are not intimidated by the proverbial pitfalls of the play-offs.
* "We are ready to make the most of our strengths and our qualities, and there are many of them," says Cecilia Salvai, with the firmness and conviction of one of Andrea Soncin's key players. The Juventus defender, who has already lifted the Serie A Women's Cup this season, cannot wait to pull on the Italy shirt again and use her experience and leadership to guide the younger players in the squad: "I'm happy to take on this responsibility," the defender adds. "It is up to us veterans to help the manager make the new arrivals understand what it means to be part of the national team. We no longer want to be a surprise package, but to establish ourselves as a great team. We have an important target to achieve and we want to do it."
* A chance to grab by playing with intelligence, heart and drawing on the push of the Franchi (for ticket information click here), where the Azzurre sealed qualification for the 2019 World Cup and Euro 2022 and where, on both occasions, Salvai scored two of her three goals for Italy. "It is a stadium that has always brought us luck," concludes the 32-year-old from Pinerolo with a smile, "and we will try to do it justice once again." Speaking to Vivo Azzurro TV alongside Juventus and Italy's number 23, Giulia Dragoni also spoke about trying to give the fans a huge reason to celebrate: "We are ready to give our all. The return match will be even more important because everything will be at stake for us. We expect a big crowd in the stands, hoping we can celebrate together with them."
* Like Salvai, the 19-year-old Chelsea player is targeting a second World Cup despite her age. Before today's training session, which was open to the winners of the 'Win Coverciano' contest, she spelt that out with her trademark honesty: "Thanks to my experiences between Italy and abroad, I feel I have grown and I want to put my qualities at the service of the team. Here at Coverciano we feel at home, like a family. We know we have to face tough, intense matches, but we have a shared desire and we will do everything we can to fulfil it."
* Michele Bravi's voice will also be with Italy on 13 October in Florence. At the Franchi, the Umbrian singer-songwriter will perform in front of the fans in the stands, adding a new chapter to the Azzurre's partnership with music. After Carl Brave, Baby K, Sarah Toscano and Lorenzo Fragola, who have accompanied the national team in recent months, it will be the turn of the versatile artist who blends music, cinema and writing into a unique journey to provide the soundtrack for the next home outing for Girelli and her team-mates. As well as bringing hit songs to Sanremo, Bravi has also appeared as an actor in two films, before lending his voice to two animated films and bringing his artistic sensitivity to television as a judge on the programme 'Amici'.