Italy recovered from a mid-game slump to record a far from comprehensive 34-19 victory over Chile in Genoa on Saturday. The Azzurri nabbed five tries with Ange Capuozzo setting Italy on the way, followed by a try in each half from Tommaso Di Bartolomeo before Monty Ioane added another two.

The ratings agency boosted Italy one level to Baa2 and revised its outlook to stable from positive

Northern Ireland have recorded just one victory over Italy in the 11 previous meetings between the two nations. Michael O'Neill's side face a trip to Italy in March for the semi-finals of the European play-offs for a place in the 2026 World Cup.

Italy will play two games during the international break in March 2026, regardless of whether they qualify for the World Cup play-off final.Italy will meet Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off

Italy will face Northern Ireland in the European playoffs in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup while Sweden meet Ukraine as 16 teams learned the pathways that determine the four remaining European slots for the global tournament.

Italy will first host Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifying playoff in March but then would go on the road to reach its first tournament after back-to-back failures at this stage.

Preview Italy vs Burkina Faso in the FIFA U-17 World Cup quarterfinals with TV info, start time, and key storylines ahead of kickoff.

Italy is pushing to ban “Italian-sounding” foods abroad amid a scandal over the appearance of a Belgian-made carbonara sauce found on the shelves of a store in the European Parliament.

Adrienne Vaughan, 45, died after she was flung from the motorboat in the holiday hotspot in southern Italy in August 2023.