Donnarumma: ‘Italy must get to the World Cup’ after his Champions League triumph

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Susy Campanale | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 12:24 PM ET

Gianluigi Donnarumma has arrived for international duty with Italy after winning the Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain. ‘We absolutely must get to the World Cup.’

The Azzurri are set to begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with two fixtures, as they will visit Norway in Oslo on Friday June 6, then host Moldova in Reggio Emilia on June 9.

While much of the squad is already at work in the Coverciano training ground, those players who were involved in the Champions League Final on Saturday evening were given permission to arrive this evening instead.

That was mainly Inter stars, but the only one celebrating is Donnarumma, who secured the Champions League with PSG.

Donnarumma hopes for more success after PSG

“I celebrated a lot, but now I am concentrated on the Nazionale,” the goalkeeper told Sky Sport Italia.

“These are two very important games, we will need to battle hard. I am happy to be here, the primary objective is the World Cup, we absolutely must get there.

“It is a tough game in Norway, we’ve got to work hard and know the first is always the most important, so we want to start with a win.”

Italy are in Group I, which includes Norway, Moldova, Israel and Estonia.

They failed to qualify for both the 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup, so are hoping to be at the next tournament in 2026, which is co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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