Italy set to begin 2018 World Cup qualifying with away match in Israel

Italy will begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on September 5, 2016 in Israel after being included in Group G in Saturday’s draw.

The Azzurri have been drawn in a group with Spain, Albania, Israel, Macedonia, and Liechtenstein with group winners guaranteed of a spot in the tournament in Russia, while runners-up will play in a two-leg playoff that will be played in November 2017.

Italy will begin their campaign with a trip to Israel on September 5, 2016 before playing host to Spain just over a month later at home.

The qualifying round will end on October 9, 2017 when Italy travel to Albania.

September 5 2016: Israel-Italy
October 6 2016: Italy-Spain
October 9 2016: Macedonia-Italy
November 12 2016: Liechtenstein-Italy
March 24 2017: Italy-Albania
June 11 2017: Italy-Liechtenstein
September 2 2017: Spain-Italy
September 5 2017: Italy-Israel
October 6 2017: Italy-Macedonia
October 9 2017: Albania-Italy