Two rounds of single-host mini-groups (autumn and spring); the best reach the 2027 finals. Italy's new 2010-2011 class debuts here.
As reigning (double) champions, the Azzurrini start with a target on their back: the autumn round will reveal the next wave.
Pafundi, Zeroli and Palestra headline the qualifying squads: today's U21 group is the Azzurri core that will dream of the 2030 World Cup.
Trailing in the 85th, Fugazzola's 91st-minute penalty equaliser, then the shootout: the Azzurrini lift the trophy. A second U17 title in three years: the 2009 generation is golden.