Saint-Denis will bring together two familiar European footballing poles on Friday, when France welcome Italy to the Stade de France in the third round of UEFA Nations League Group A1. The 2 October meeting, scheduled for 15:45 Brasília time, arrives with France unbeaten but deprived of Kylian Mbappé, while Italy travel north after rediscovering their attacking edge against Turkey.
France have opened the 2026/27 campaign with two narrow 1-0 wins, first over Turkey and then away to Belgium. Those results have placed Zinédine Zidane’s side in a strong early position, though the loss of Mbappé changes the texture of the occasion. The forward injured his left knee during the victory against Turkey and has subsequently left the national squad.
Italy’s opening fortnight has been less even. Roberto Mancini’s team began with a 2-0 defeat to Belgium before responding emphatically against Turkey in their second fixture. That recovery leaves the visitors with an opportunity to alter the shape of the group in Paris, where Jesús Gil Manzano of Spain will referee.
A selection question in Italy’s forward line
Mancini is expected to retain most of the team that overwhelmed Turkey. The principal decision concerns the left-sided attacking place, with Moise Kean and Sebastian Esposito competing for selection. Pio Esposito is set to lead the line, with Giacomo Raspadori offering another route between midfield and attack.
France, meanwhile, are likely to look to Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Désiré Doué in the absence of Mbappé. Adrien Rabiot, Manu Koné and Rayan Cherki give Zidane a varied central unit, while Mike Maignan is expected to start in goal behind a defence led by Dayot Upamecano.
- France: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Koné, Rabiot, Cherki; Dembélé, Olise, Doué.
- Italy: Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Frattesi, Tonali, Fagioli; Raspadori, Pio Esposito, Sebastian Esposito or Moise Kean.
A longer Nations League autumn
This is the fifth edition of the Nations League, and its 2026/27 calendar has introduced an extended international window stretching from September into October. Group fixtures will conclude on 17 November, before the leading sides move into quarter-finals scheduled from 25 to 30 March 2027. The final tournament is due to take place in the week beginning 9 June 2027.
The competition also has consequences beyond its own trophy. Nations League performance will feed into routes towards Euro 2028, to be staged in England and the Republic of Ireland, and into the play-off landscape for European qualifying for the 2030 World Cup. For France and Italy, then, an October evening outside Paris carries more than the usual early-autumn weight.
The match will be shown in Brazil by sportv and Disney+.
