Official: Rugani replaces injured Gabbia for Italy 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Injured Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has pulled out of the Italy squad and has been replaced by Daniele Rugani.

The Italy national team confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that Milan defender Gabbia had left the training camp at Coverciano, being replaced by Daniele Rugani.

Official: Gabbia pulls out of Italy squad

Gabbia sustained a calf injury during a training session on Tuesday and was unable to continue preparations for World Cup qualifying matches against Norway and Moldova in June.

The Azzurri will make their debut on June 6 in Oslo before hosting Moldova at the Mapei Stadium three days later, on June 9.

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti has been forced to make several changes to the original squad named last week.

Fiorentina’s Luca Ranieri replaced Alessandro Buongiorno of Napoli. Francesco Acerbi refused to play for the Azzurri, as he didn’t feel part of Spalletti’s project. Meanwhile, Manuel Locatelli sustained an ankle injury during a training session earlier this week.

Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori wasn’t even called up due to a bruised knee.

Rugani’s stats this season

Juventus-owned Rugani spent the last season on loan at Ajax, scoring one goal in 26 appearances.

He had just returned to Turin to begin preparations for the Club World Cup.

His contract at the Allianz Stadium expires in June 2025.