World champion Italy officially kicks off the 2026 season, and head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi announced a group of 15 volleyball players for the 'Azzurri's' first training camp in Rome.
The camp will take place from May 11 to 17 at the 'Giulio Onesti' Olympic Training Center in Acqua Acetosa and marks the beginning of the new international cycle for the Italian national team.
The news is particularly interesting for Bulgaria, as the two teams will face each other in the second week of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League in Ljubljana. According to the official VNL 2026 schedule, Bulgaria plays Italy on June 24 at 'Stožice Arena' in the Slovenian capital. The match is scheduled for 1:00 PM local time.
Among those called up, a large portion of Italy's key players from recent major tournaments are absent, suggesting that De Giorgi will use the start of the season for experiments and expanding the squad before the crucial matches in the summer.
Players called up by Italy for the first camp in 2026
| Player | Club |
|---|---|
| Alessandro Bovolenta | - |
| Francesco Comparoni | - |
| Domenico Pace | - |
| Paolo Porro | Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza |
| Alessandro Fanizza | Cisterna Volley |
| Tommaso Guzzo | Cisterna Volley |
| Tommaso Ichino | Allianz Milano |
| Giulio Magalini | Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina |
| Marco Pellacani | Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina |
| Leandro Aussibio Mosca | Vero Volley Milano |
| Mattia Orioli | Sonepar Padova |
| Andrea Truocchio | Sonepar Padova |
| Kamil Rychlicki | ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle |
| Francesco Romano Sani | Rana Verona |
| Matteo Stafforini | Rana Verona |
The Italian staff is clearly beginning a gradual generational change, with young promising athletes combined with several more experienced figures in the first camp. This could mean that Bulgaria will encounter a different face of the "Azzurri" already in Ljubljana, especially if De Giorgi continues with rotations at the start of the VNL.
