The opponents of the National Team in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifications have been determined.
National Team Coach Vincenzo Montella made noteworthy statements about the draw.
HERE ARE MONTELLA’S WORDS:
“22 YEARS IS TOO LONG”
We are a good and young team. Our players are gaining experience. These matches will also improve our players. 22 years is a very long time, we haven’t participated in the World Cup for 22 years. We are ready, we want to win the group. If we cannot win the group, we want to participate in the play-offs.
“WE ARE READY FOR EVERYONE; THE COMPETITION DOES NOT REALIZE”
Maybe we are in one of the most difficult groups. We are ready for everyone. The opponent doesn’t matter. Spain is the winner of the last tournament. Georgia, one of the toughest opponents, came from the 3rd pot. Bulgaria, the team with the highest points in the 4th pot, has arrived, but it doesn’t matter, we are ready.
“WE HAVE NO EXCUSES”
Maybe we are in one of the most difficult groups, but we are ready for every team, no matter the opponent. Spain is the last European champion. We drew Georgia, another difficult opponent, from the third pot. Bulgaria, the highest ranked team in that bag, came from the fourth pot. However, we have no excuse, maybe playing with good teams will motivate the players more.
“WE WANT PLAY-OFF”
We have a good and young team, I believe that playing matches at such a high level will develop our players physically and mentally. 22 years is a very long time, but we are ready for this group and we want to become leaders. Even if we can’t be the leader, we want to go to the play-offs in second place.