Who Are The Players To Watch For Italy At FIFA U-20 World Cup? Plenty Of Talent On Display For Azzurrini

Italy will take some of their youngest and brightest prospects to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, but who are the players to look out for?

The FIFA U-20 World Cup begins on September 27th, as the likes of Italy, Spain, France and Brazil all look to lift the trophy and highlight the young talent within their respective nations.

Defending champions, Uruguay, will be hoping to repeat their success from 2023, but the Azzurini will be seeking revenge after losing 1-0 in the final last time out.

Performing for the Italian youth teams have been a route to success for some of the Azzurri’s most historic players, with the likes of Alessandro Del Piero bursting onto the scene with the Azzurrini.

The iconic Italian player, who has recently been linked with the Juventus President role, was always a standout player for his nation and we have decided to look at the youngsters that could follow in his footsteps at the U-20 World Cup?

𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗼 𝗔𝘇𝘇𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗩 🎬🍿
🌎 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘭 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 20!
🖥 Lo speciale ➡️ https://t.co/eVOYv3SIOD#U20WC #Azzurrini #VivoAzzurroTV pic.twitter.com/6elHaQIsBp

— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri) September 26, 2025

Who Are The Players To Watch For Italy At FIFA U-20 World Cup?

Francesco Verde (Defender)

• Position: Center Back
• Age: 18
• Club: Juventus

Francesco Verde has been a highly-touted talent in Turin for multiple years now, working his way through the ranks at Juventus and made 36 appearances for the Juventus U-20 side last season.

Playing as in the centre of defense as an Italian comes with its own unique pressure, as the Azzurri have produced some of the best defenders in soccer history.

Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Franco Baresi and Giorgio Chiellini are just a few of the star defenders to appear for the Azzurri national side – with Verde being compared to the latter.

The Italian defender has represented Italy from U-15 to U-18 and will make his debut for the U-20 side in Chile, earning a place in Carmine Nunziata’s squad.

Verde was a part of the Italy side that secured the U-17 European Championship in 2024, playing the full 90-minutes in both the semi-final and final.

Andrea Natali 

• Position: Center Back
• Age: 17
• Club: AZ Alkmaar (on loan from Bayer Leverkusen)

Next on the list we have another central defender in Andrea Natali, who is one of the more high-profile names on this list after earning a place on the bench for Bayer Leverkusen’s opening league game this season.

In July 2020, a 13-year-old Natali left AC Milan’s academy to join Espanyol, where he impressed enough to join Barcelona’s iconic academy, La Masia, a year later.

His time with Barca came to an end in July 2024, as Natali signed for Bayer Leverkusen in a free transfer and went on to make 29 appearances for the German side’s youth set-up.

Natali partnered Verde in Italy’s U-17 European Championship winning side, captaining the Azzurrini on one occasion and playing 90-minutes in each of the knockout stages.

The 17-year-old joined AZ Alkmaar on loan for the 2025/26 season and was included in the Dutch side’s Europa Conference League squad before the deal was agreed.

Marco Romano

• Position: Attacking Midfield
• Age: 19
• Club: Genoa

Moving away from the defensive area of the team now and we have 19-year-old attacking midfielder, Marco Romano, who has caught the eye after an electric start to the 2025/26 season.

Romano has scored contributed to five goals in four league appearances for Genoa U-20 (4G + 1A), while holding the captain’s armband along the way.

Primarily playing behind the striker in a 3-4-3 with Genoa, Romano has shown the ability to not just contribute with assists but find the back of the net himself.

His 5ft 7in frame makes Romano a tricky customer, boasting a high-level of agility and allusiveness, which played a huge role in his performances for Geona in 2023/24 – winning the youth title.

Alvin Obinna Okoro

• Position: Striker/Winger
• Age: 20
• Club: Juventus

Our final player to look out for during the U-20 World Cup is Juventus youngster, Alvin Obinna Okoro, who has established himself as one of the brightest prospects in Turin.

Okoro first caught the eye during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring 10 goals in 26 Primavera 2 – A appearances for Venezia U-19 – contributing to six goals in the final four matches of the season (5G +1A).

The 20-year-old is now on the books for Juventus Youth, making four appearances this season and showing some versatility to his game by adapting from a left-winger to a center forward.

At 6ft 1in, Okoro is a presence up-front with lethal finishing, strong burst of pace and the ability to play across a variety of positions in the Italian front-line.

Who Will Not Play For Italy At FIFA U-20 World Cup?

Although there is an abundance of talent in the Italy U-20 squad, there has been some controversy over some of the big names that have been held back by there clubs.

Serie A sides have the power to stop players from going to the U-20 World Cup, as the tournament is not treated like a senior tournament, as clubs must allow players to compete in competitions like AFCON.

This means that many of Italy’s brightest prospects will not be heading to Chile, with clubs like Lecce, Inter and AC Milan keeping a hold of their young Italians.

Giovanni Leoni was unlikely to feature for the Italy U-2o after a huge move to Liverpool, but the defender has been completely ruled out after Leoni tore his ACL on debut.

One of the biggest absentees is Francesco Camarda, who holds the record for the youngest player to ever make an appearance in Serie A, debuting in November 2023 at just 15 years and 260 days.

The striker is currently owned by AC Milan but joined Lecce on loan for the 2025/26 season, where he has featured in every Serie A match so far.

Another star name in the striker department will not feature at the U-20 World Cup, as Francesco Pio Esposito will stay with the Inter Milan squad after earning a place in the starting eleven.

AC Milan have decided to keep Davide Bartesaghi and Lorenzo Torriani for the relevant league and cup fixtures, despite the former making just one appearance this season.

Italy FIFA U-20 World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers: Alessandro Nunziante (Udinese), Jacopo Seghetti (Livorno), Lapo Siviero (Torino)

Defenders: Wisdom Amey (Pianese), Cristian Cama (Roma), Christian Corradi (Trento), Emanuel Benjamín de Santana Balbinot (Real Madrid), Javison Osarumwense Idele (Atalanta), Andrea Natali (AZ Alkmaar), Francesco Verde (Juventus)*

Midfielders: Alessandro Berretta (Giana Erminio), Mattia Mannini (Juve Stabia), Lorenzo Riccio (Atalanta), Emanuele Sala (Milan), Jacopo Sardo (Monza)

Forwards: Jamal Iddrissou (Inter), Ismaël Konaté (Empoli), Mattia Liberali (Catanzaro), Mattia Mosconi (Inter), Alvin Obinna Okoro (Juventus), Marco Romano (Genoa)

*called up on September 20 to replace Fellipe Jack Ozilio Moreira Pacheco (Spezia)