Italy and France opened their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaigns with commanding victories on 6 September, sending positive signals ahead of crucial group fixtures.
Italy surge past Estonia under Gattuso’s debut
In Bergamo, Italy recorded a 5-0 home win over Estonia in Gennaro Gattuso’s debut as head coach. The Azzurri struggled to break down Estonia for much of the first half, with goalkeeper Karl Hein producing several key saves, including tipping a Mateo Retegui header onto the crossbar.
The breakthrough came two minutes before the hour mark when Moise Kean converted a deft back-heel flick from Retegui. Retegui then doubled the lead in the 69th minute, followed immediately by Giacomo Raspadori’s diving header. Retegui grabbed his second of the night in the 89th minute, and Alessandro Bastoni added a fifth deep into stoppage time.
“We showed great hunger, hard work and humility all week. We proved we’re still standing and want to fight for qualification,” said Retegui. Gattuso added: “Nothing can ever be taken for granted and they deserve credit for their attitude throughout. We have an objective, which is to make the people happy and give enthusiasm back to Italians.” Italy now prepare for a key clash against Israel on Monday.
Olise and Mbappe shine as France tame Ukraine
Meanwhile, France defeated Ukraine 2-0 in Wroclaw to begin their Group D campaign with a win. Michael Olise opened the scoring after 10 minutes, sliding in a pass from Bradley Barcola, while Kylian Mbappe sealed the victory in the 82nd minute on a rapid counter, equalling Thierry Henry’s tally of 51 international goals.
Les Bleus dominated the first half, but Ukraine briefly threatened after the hour mark, with Ibrahima Konate clearing a shot off the line and Illia Zabarnyi striking the post. Substitutes Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue left the pitch due to injuries, with Hugo Ekitike making his senior debut.
Coach Didier Deschamps said: “We mastered the first half and could have scored one more, then we struggled briefly but we have so much attacking quality. It’s good to start this campaign with a win.” Mbappe added: “We could have scored more, I, myself, missed a few, so there is room for improvement. But it’s a good, solid start.”