The Italy national football team (Italian: Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. This team's nationalism is managed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) the governing body for football in Italy and is a co-founder as well as a part of UEFA. Italy's home games are played in various stadiums across Italy and the main training ground as well as its technical headquarters Centro Tecnico Federale in Coverciano is located in Florence. Italy is the current European champions having won UEFA Euro 2020.
Italy is among the teams that has had the greatest success throughout the history of soccer as well as it has been a major participant in the World Cup, having won four World Cup titles (1934 38, 1937 1982, 1934 in 2006, 1938, 1934,) and participating in two finals (1970 1994) which culminated in third place (1990) and fourth place (1978). Italy also has won the two European Championships (1968, 2020) and also played in two finals of the competition (2000 and 2012). Italy's team also won second place at the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup in 2022 and third at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 as well as at the UEFA Nations League in 2021.
The team is referred to by the name of gli Azzurri (the blues) due to the fact that Savoy blue has become the standard color of national teams that represent Italy since it was the official paint colour for the royal House of Savoy who ruled Italy's Kingdom. Italy. It was in 1938 that Italy began to be the only team in history to win their World Cup title, and because of the beginning of World War II, retained the title for another 12 years. Italy also had been crowned the winner of twice Central European International Cups (1927-30 1933-35). Between the two World Cup victories, Italy took home in the Olympic soccer tournament (1936). Following the fact that all of their team were killed by a plane crash in 1949 Italy had a poor performance in the 1950sand even not qualifying for their 1958 World Cup. The inability to be able to participate in this World Cup did not happen for the next time until the two consecutive World Cups of 2022 and 2018. The team was undefeated from October 2018 until October 2021. They hold the record for the longest consecutive games without a loss (37).
Italy has significant rivalries with other nations that have football including Brazil, Croatia, France, Germany and Spain. According to the FIFA World Rankings, in place since August 1993 Italy has been in the top spot several times, including in November 1993, and also in 2007 (February March-April, June-September, September) which culminated in its lowest place in August of 2018 being in the 21st spot.
