Italy and Argentina first starters
Next year the winner of the European Championship and the Copa América will face each other for the first time. Europe’s football governing body UEFA announced on Tuesday that they have agreed with the South American football federation CONMEBOL that there will be a competitive game between Italy and Argentina in July 2022. The match will be a part of the increased partnership between the two federations.
For now, the federations have agreed on three games, after the match in 2022 after every Euro and Copa América. No exact dates have been announced at this point. Italy and Argentina have faced each other 15-times in history, but the last competitive fixture dates back to the 1990 World Cup semifinal where the Albiceleste won after penalties.
The closer cooperation between CONMEBOL and UEFA comes in direct competition to FIFA’s World Cup plans. FIFA wants to organize the World Cup every two rather than four years. UEFA and CONMEBOL have been firmly opposed to changing the rhythm of the tournament. The two continental organizations want to open an office to coordinate women’s football, futsal, youth football, exchanges of referees, and technical training programs.
#EURO2020 winners Italy will meet #CopaAmerica champions Argentina in June 2022.
The match is part of the cooperation between UEFA and @CONMEBOL, which includes youth and women’s football, futsal, the exchange of referees and technical training schemes.
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— UEFA (@UEFA) September 28, 2021
