France and Italy are set to compete in Nations League A, where they are grouped with Belgium and Israel in what is considered the toughest of the four groups. Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the two-legged quarter-finals in March 2025, with the winners moving on to the Finals in June.

France, one of the pre-tournament favorites, fell short at Euro 2024. Their campaign was hampered early on when key player Kylian Mbappé suffered a broken nose in the opening match against Austria. Despite this setback, France made it to the semi-finals before losing to the eventual champions, Spain. Mbappé, now at Real Madrid, is expected to play in the Nations League despite calls from his club for him to be rested.

Italy, meanwhile, struggled to defend their title at Euro 2024, being knocked out in the Round of 16 by Switzerland. The Azzurri managed only one group-stage win, which came against Albania. Historically, Italy has the upper hand in head-to-head encounters with France, boasting 19 wins to France’s 11, with 9 draws between them. Their meetings have been high-scoring affairs, averaging 3.54 goals per match across 39 encounters.