Italy take on the visitors Norway in a World Cup 2026 qualification match. The match will be played on Sunday, November 16th at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro) (Milan).
Italy still remember their European Championship triumph five years ago. But they have missed two World Cups in a row. And last year, at the continental tournament under Spalletti, they struggled to get out of the group and then lost immediately in the first playoff round — a 0-2 defeat to Switzerland, hardly a top-tier giant. Spalletti kept his position after that, and the team looked decent in the Nations League. But a qualifying loss to Norway cost him his job instantly. As a result, the federation had to appoint Gattuso, as no more high-profile candidate accepted the offer. Still, in a national team setup, Gennaro — whose strengths lie more in motivation than tactics — has been doing reasonably well, earning wins even if sometimes with difficulty: 5-4 against Israel, conceding against Estonia, and a late 2-0 over Moldova after failing to score until the 88th minute. Additionally, Italy’s recent displays show a team that is still adjusting to its new identity, often alternating between energetic attacking stretches and moments of instability. Despite this inconsistency, they have generally managed to secure results, demonstrating resilience when matches become unexpectedly complicated.
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Norway are closer than ever to a long-awaited breakthrough. The “Drills” were strong around the turn of the century. But after that came not just mediocre years, but mediocre decades. Now a very talented generation has matured, and although their leaders are no longer young, previous cycles always seemed to end in fresh disappointment. Only recently have they finally lifted their heads. And in this qualification campaign they set the tone immediately by crushing the group favorite 3-0. They kept winning their other matches as well, often in spectacular fashion — including an astonishing 11-1 away in Moldova. Only in October did they drop points, but that was in a friendly against the exotic New Zealand. They warmed up for this match by thrashing Estonia 4-1. Now they simply need to avoid losing by 9 (nine!) goals. Furthermore, Norway have shown remarkable consistency throughout the qualifiers, regularly imposing their tempo and maintaining control across entire matches. Their recent performances also suggest a growing maturity, as they manage games with far more confidence than in past cycles.
In the past two decades Italy have three victories against the Scandinavians and one draw. But this summer the “Squadra Azzurra” suffered a heavy defeat. It is hard to speak seriously about a battle for first place — the intrigue is mostly formal. The hosts may well win simply for the sake of some symbolic “satisfaction.”
Prediction for the match: Italy to win.
