Belgium vs Italy facts

Group B of UEFA Women's EURO 2025 begins as Belgium meet two-time runners-up Italy in Sion.

Belgium qualified for their third finals via the play-offs, while Italy topped their group.

Previous meetings

Also paired together in the 2022 finals, Belgium were 1-0 winners in Manchester on Matchday 3 thanks to a Tine De Caigny strike early in the second half. It was the Red Flames' only win in the tournament and ensured they finished second in Group D, with Italy fourth.

The teams swapped 2-1 home victories during qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Italy were victorious in Ferrara on 10 April 2018 before Belgium triumphed in Leuven on 31 August, Italy's only defeat in Group 6.

The two nations most recently faced off in February 2023, when Belgium recorded a third successive victory over Le Azzurre. Marie Detruyer (16) and Tessa Wullaert (90) scored either side of a Manuela Giugliano (64) goal in Milton Keynes.

Form guide

Belgium

Belgium's record in qualifying Group A2 was W1 D1 L4 as they finished third behind Spain and Denmark, but ahead of Czechia on head-to-head record.

In the play-offs, a side coached by Ives Serneels firstly defeated Greece 5-0 (0-0 a, 5-0 h) before seeing off Ukraine with a 4-1 aggregate victory (2-0 a, 2-1 h).

Wullaert finished as Belgium's top scorer in qualifying with five goals; Ella Van Kerkhoven was on target three times during the play-offs.

The Red Flames were eliminated at the group stage on their Women's EURO debut in 2017, but they went one better in 2022 thanks to that win against Italy, which followed a 1-1 draw with Iceland and a 1-2 defeat by France. In the quarter-finals, they conceded in added time to lose 0-1 to Sweden.

That remains their only knockout tie in women's senior football.

Serneels' 14-year reign as head coach came to an end in January, with Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir named as his successor.

Italy

Italy are making their 13th Women's EURO appearance after topping Group A1, losing just one of their six games as they finished ahead of Netherlands, Norway and Finland.

With three goals, Giugliano was Italy's top scorer in qualifying.

Runners-up as hosts in 1993, losing 0-1 to Norway, Italy also reached the final in 1997, going down 0-2 against Germany.

Le Azzurre have featured in all but one of the Women's EURO tournaments since 1984, missing out only in 1995.

Four of their last six participations – including the last two – have ended at the group stage. Their last knockout participation was in 2013, when they reached the quarter-finals.

Two-time World Cup quarter-finalists, Italy finished third in Group G in the most recent tournament in 2023, defeating fourth-placed Argentina (1-0) before losing to group winners Sweden (0-5) and South Africa (2-3), the latter scoring an added-time winner to finish ahead of them.

In charge since September 2023, Italy are led by head coach Andre Soncin.

Key facts

• Belgium have won only two of their seven Women's EURO final tournament matches (D1 L4).

• Their record in their opening match at the finals is D1 L1. They lost 1-0 against Denmark in 2017 and drew 1-1 against Iceland in 2022.

• Italy have won only one of their last eight Women's EURO finals matches (D1 L6), a 3-2 victory against Sweden on Matchday 3 in 2017.

• The Azzurre lost their opening match at the last two EURO tournaments; 1-2 against Russia in 2017 and 1-5 to France in 2022.

• Italy have only kept three clean sheets in their previous 35 Women's EURO final tournament matches.