Turin, 20 March (LaPresse) – The national team’s ‘World Cup mission’ gets underway on Sunday evening, with the squad set to assemble at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano. They face Northern Ireland in the play-off semi-final on Thursday 26 March (8.45 pm, live on Rai 1) at the Stadio di Bergamo. Should they win, Italy would then contest a World Cup play-off on Tuesday 31 March away from home against the winner of the match between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two defeated semi-finalists from Path A of the play-offs (Italy v Northern Ireland / Wales v Bosnia and Herzegovina) will instead play a friendly on 31 March. A match the Azzurri would play away from home in any case, either in Cardiff or Zenica. Coach Gennaro Gattuso has called up 28 players, with the new face being Marco Palestra, a Cagliari defender born in 2005, making his first call-up to the senior national team. Federico Chiesa, European champion in 2021 and absent from the national team since Euro 2024, returns to wear the Azzurri shirt. Giorgio Scalvini and Niccolò Pisilli also receive their first call-ups under Gattuso, having been absent since March and November 2024 respectively.