Italy call 34 players but Mancini snubs Retegui, Udogie, Zaccagni and Politano
Quick summary
Roberto Mancini has named a 34-player Italy squad but excluded Mateo Retegui, Destiny Udogie, Mattia Zaccagni, and Matteo Politano.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceRoberto Mancini called a massive 34 players for his first Italy squad, but still left out names including Mateo Retegui, Mattia Zaccagni, Destiny Udogie, Matteo Gabbia and Matteo Politano, while others remain with the Under-21 side.
The Azzurri begin this second Mancini era in the Nations League , where they play Belgium on September 25, Turkiye on September 28, France on October 2 and then the Turkish side again on October 5.
Group A is completed on November 12 with France and November 15 in Belgium.
PARMA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: (L-R) Leonardo Bonucci and Roberto Mancini attend the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on August 22, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images) The CT called up a huge group of 34 players for the four matches, including nine new faces who had never been in the senior Italy side.
However, he still snubbed quite a few other big names, while figures like Manuel Locatelli of Juventus, Chelsea’s Marco Palestra, Federico Chiesa of Liverpool, Bologna winger Riccardo Orsolini and Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret are injured.
Retegui was given his Italy debut by Mancini in March 2023, when still relatively unknown in Argentina, going on to score 11 goals in 28 senior games, along with five assists.
However, the move to Al-Qadsiah and the emergence of other alternatives for the role seem to have pushed him out.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Mattia Zaccagni of SS Lazio competes for the ball with Mario Gila of AC Milan during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico on September 12, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images) Lazio captain Zaccagni is a surprising snub , considering how well his club has started this season, while Politano is also a regular for Napoli.
Milan defender Gabbia has at least been struggling with injuries recently, but Tottenham Hotspur full-back Udogie had been expected to get a call almost a year on from his last Italy experience.
LEEDS, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 04: Destiny Udogie of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Brenden Aaronson of Leeds United during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on October 04, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) There is also the matter of the Under-21 European Championship qualifiers to consider, as Italy play Armenia and Poland, in particular badly needing to win that final match.
This might be why Silvio Baldini was allowed to keep Fiorentina midfielder Cher Ndour, Niccolò Pisilli of Roma and impressive Milan forward Alphadjo Cisse.
ROME, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: Niccolo Pisilli of AS Roma celebrates after scoring the team’s third goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and US Cremonese at Stadio Olimpico on February 22, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images) Italy squad for Nations League games Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus);
Defenders: Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Roma), Michael Kayode (Brentford), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolò Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Alessandro Romano (Cagliari), Sandro Tonali (Tottenham);
Forwards: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Sebastiano Esposito (Sassuolo), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Moise Kean (Como), Daniel Maldini (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Antonio Vergara (Napoli), Nicolò Zaniolo (Udinese), Mohamed Alì Zoma (Nurnberg).
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What happened
Italy head coach Roberto Mancini has called up 34 players for upcoming international fixtures, but the expanded list notably omits several high-profile Serie A performers. Mateo Retegui, Destiny Udogie, Mattia Zaccagni, and Matteo Politano have all been left out despite strong club form. The large squad suggests Mancini is keeping options open for potential additions and assessing a wide pool ahead of the international window.
Chance analysis
An expanded 34-man squad from Mancini signals an open evaluation phase rather than a settled first-choice XI, with the door left ajar for late additions. The omissions are the real story: Retegui has been one of the most talked-about Italian strikers this season, Udogie is a dynamic attacking full-back, and Zaccagni and Politano have been consistent Serie A contributors. Whether this is a tactical message, a fitness question, or simply rotation will become clearer as the window approaches.
Italy's squad depth is unchanged overall but the exclusions weaken attacking options and may frustrate the snubbed players' club form contributions to the national team.