Matteo Pessina and Rafael Toloi have been called up by Italy coach Roberto Mancini for the first FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying fixtures. This is the first Italy call-up for the Atalanta defender.

The Azzurri, who are in Group C, will play three matches: Italy-Northern Ireland on Thursday 25 March (Stadium Tardini in Parma); Bulgaria-Italy on Sunday 28 March (Stadium Vasil Levski in Sofia) and Lituania-Italy on Wednesday 31 March (Stadium LFF in Vilnius). The three games are scheduled at 20.45 CET.