Italy return to Udine on Tuesday night knowing that just a single point against Israel will be enough to confirm their place in the 2026 World Cup playoffs.
Luciano Spalletti's side edged an unforgettable nine-goal thriller when the two teams met last month, clinching a 5-4 victory with a dramatic stoppage-time winner. Italy's World Cup qualifying campaign has gathered pace under Gennaro Gattuso, who has overseen a timely resurgence following a slow start.
Entering September's window with a nine-point gap to Norway and two games in hand, the Azzurri responded with back-to-back wins over Estonia and Hungary to tighten their grip on second place in Group I.
A 3-1 victory in Tallinn extended Italy’s winning run in qualifiers to four matches. Despite the momentum, the four-time world champions remain cautious, knowing that another slip could threaten their hopes of avoiding a third straight World Cup absence.
Israel, meanwhile, cling to faint hopes of reaching the playoffs but face a must-win scenario in Udine as they trail Italy by three points, having played a game more and holding an inferior goal difference.
Their last two games have seen them concede 10 goals, starting with the 5-4 loss to Gli Azzuri, and then a horror 5-0 loss to Erling Haaland's Norway.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the weekly schedule.
Italy vs. Israel live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this World Cup qualifier in the U.S.:
TV channel: --
Live stream: Amazon Prime
This game is not available for live TV broadcast in the US. Streaming options are available on Amazon Prime.
What time does Italy vs. Israel kick off?
This World Cup qualifier takes place at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy and kicks off on Tuesday, October 14 at 8:45 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across the U.S.:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Tue, Oct. 14 | 2:45 p.m. |
| Central Time | Tue, Oct. 14 | 1:45 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Tue, Oct. 14 | 12:45 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Tue, Oct. 14 | 11:45 a.m. |
Italy vs. Israel predicted lineups, team news
Italy will be without Moise Kean, who suffered an ankle injury after scoring in the weekend win, joining Gianluca Scamacca, Matteo Politano and Mattia Zaccagni on the sidelines.
Alessandro Bastoni is suspended, with Gianluca Mancini set to replace him. Giacomo Raspadori could move up alongside Mateo Retegui, while Leonardo Spinazzola or Andrea Cambiaso may offer width in a slightly more cautious setup.
Italy predicted XI (4-3-1-2, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Calafiori, Dimarco — Cambiaso, Barella, Tonali — Spinazzola — Raspadori, Retegui.
Injured: Kean, Scamacca, Politano, Zaccagni
Suspended: Bastoni
Israel miss key midfielder Dor Peretz, who netted twice in the reverse fixture. After a 5-0 defeat to Norway, coach Ran Ben Shimon is expected to reshuffle, with Tai Baribo or Dor Turgeman likely to start up front.
Manor Solomon and Oscar Gloukh will carry the creative burden as the visitors chase a result to keep faint playoff hopes alive.
Israel predicted XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Da. Peretz (GK) — Dasa, Baltaxa, Nachmias, Revivo — Abu Fani, E. Peretz — Khalaily, Gloukh, Solomon — Baribo.
Injured: Dor Peretz
Suspended: None
World Cup Qualifying schedule this week
All times in ET
Sunday, October 12
- San Marino vs. Cyprus (9 a.m.)
- Scotland vs. Belarus (12 p.m.)
- Netherlands vs. Finland (12 p.m.)
- Faroe Islands vs Czechia (12 p.m.)
- Denmark vs. Greece (2:45 p.m.)
- Lithuania vs. Poland (2:45 p.m.)
- Romania vs. Austria (2:45 p.m.)
- Croatia vs. Gibraltar (2:45 p.m.)
Monday, October 13
- Northern Ireland vs. Germany (2:45 p.m.)
- Slovakia vs. Luxembourg (2:45 p.m.)
- Slovenia vs. Switzerland (2:45 p.m.)
- Sweden vs. Kosovo (2:45 p.m.)
- Iceland vs. France (2:45 p.m.)
- Ukraine vs. Azerbaijan (2:45 p.m.)
- North Macedonia vs. Kazakhstan (2:45 p.m.)
- Wales vs. Belgium (2:45 p.m.)
Tuesday, October 14
- Estonia vs. Moldova (12 p.m.)
- Spain vs. Bulgaria (2:45 p.m.)
- Turkey vs. Georgia (12 p.m.)
- Ireland vs. Armenia (2:45 p.m.)
- Portugal vs. Hungary (2:45 p.m.)
- Italy vs. Israel (2:45 p.m.)
- Andorra vs. Serbia (2:45 p.m.)
- Latvia vs. England (2:45 p.m.)