| Italy Under-23 | |
| Badge: | Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, Logo 2017, 4 stars.svg |
| Badge Size: | 150 |
| Fifa Trigramme: | ITA |
| Nickname: | Gli Azzurrini (The Little Blues) |
| Association: | Italian Football Federation (Federazion Italia Giuoco Calcio – FIGC) |
| Top Scorer: | Nicola Ventola (4) |
| Confederation: | UEFA (Europe) |
| Pattern La1: | _ita20h |
| Pattern B1: | _ita20H |
| Pattern Ra1: | _ita20h |
| Pattern So1: | _ita20H |
| Leftarm1: | 103CD6 |
| Body1: | 103CD6 |
| Rightarm1: | 103CD6 |
| Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
| Socks1: | 103CD6 |
| Pattern La2: | _ita20a |
| Pattern B2: | _ita20A |
| Pattern Ra2: | _ita20a |
| Pattern So2: | _ita20A |
| Leftarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Body2: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts2: | 000054 |
| Socks2: | FFFFFF |
| First Game: | 1–0 (Nottingham, England; 20 December 1967) |
| Largest Win: | 4–0 (Foggia, Italy; 19 June 1997) 5–1 (Bari, Italy; 25 June 1997) |
| Largest Loss: | 4–1 (Växjö, Sweden; 10 October 1971) |
| 2Ndregional Name: | Mediterranean Games |
| 2Ndregional Cup Apps: | 6 |
| 2Ndregional Cup First: | 1997 |
| 2Ndregional Cup Best: | Gold medalist: (1997) |
| Regional Name: | Olympic Games |
| Regional Cup Apps: | 5 |
| Regional Cup First: | 1992 |
| Regional Cup Best: | Bronze medallist: (2004) |
The Italy national under-23 football team represented Italy in international under-23 football competitions. Managed by the Italian Football Federation, it ceased to exist after the suppression of the UEFA European Under-23 Championship in 1977; its heir is the Olympic team, which has the same age criteria as the former under-23s.
The under-23's best result in UEFA competitions was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1974 UEFA European Under-23 Championship. An impromptu U-23 team was formed in 1997, twenty years after their most recent appearance; they won the football tournament of the 1997 Mediterranean Games. As of 2022, an Italy U-23 team has not played ever since.
The forerunner of the under-23 national team was the "youth" national team, which debuted on 6 April 1942, in Turin, against Hungary. In this encounter, both teams were made up of players born no earlier than 1920, making them de facto under-23 teams.[1] After World War II, the national team – also known as the "cadetti" (cadets), "giovani" (youth) or "primavera" (spring) – played regular matches at least until 1960, based on selections of players under the age of 23.[2]
The under-23 team was officially established in 1967, by a resolution of the FIGC Federal Council: with this act, the FIGC established that, from the 1967–68 season, the new selection would replace the national B team.[3] The new team made their debut on 20 December 1967, in a 1–0 defeat against England played at City Ground in Nottingham. The FIGC hired Romolo Alzani as team coach. On 26 March 1969, the team won their first match, a 2–1 win against Northern Ireland.[4] Coached by Ferruccio Valcareggi, between 1969 and 1970, they played at the Latin Cup, their first tournament in their history, in which they won their only game against Spain in February 1970.
Since 1992 Olympic football changed to a U-23 event, and the European U-21 teams are technically U-23 teams. European national teams qualify for the Olympic football tournament through the UEFA European U-21 Championship.
Quarter-Finals
Group Stage
Quarter-Finals
Bronze Medal
Quarter-Finals
Did not qualify
Did not qualify
Did not qualify
Did not qualify
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gianluca Pagliuca (GK) | Massimo Crippa (MF) | Marco Branca (FW) | ||
| did not select | ||||
| Matteo Ferrari (DF) | Andrea Pirlo (MF) | did not select | ||
| Tommaso Rocchi (FW) | did not select | |||