Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Italy
Match Time & Date:
5 September 2025
19:45
Prediction: 3-0
Estonia
David faces Goliath in Bergamo as Italy and Estonia take on each other in the 2026 World Cup qualifier. The Azzurri are seen as No. 1 favourites to win Group I, but they need to keep on improving their game to secure automatic World Cup qualification. New boss Genaro Gattuso can count on Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, who has overcome his shoulder injury, with Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca returning to contention.
The Estonians, on the other hand, will have a mountain to climb in Friday’s clash. As previously mentioned, this promises to be a David-vs-Goliath clash and anything but a routine home win would be a big surprise. You should know that Italia have defeated Estonia in each of their previous seven meetings in all competitions. Alex Tamm is unlikely to lead the line for the visitors after struggling for first-team football at Olimpija Ljubljana in the Slovenian championship.
Highlighted Player (Sandro Tonali):
After starting his youth career at Piacenza back in 2009, Sandro Tonali moved to Brescia three years later. The 181-cm-tall defender has been playing for le Rondinelle ever since and it has to be noted that he made his debut with the Stadio Mario Rigamonti outfit on August 26, 2017 in a 2-1 defeat to Avellino.
Sandro Tonali scored his first ever league goal for Brescia in a 4-2 loss to Salernitana on April 28, 2018. The talented midfielder, who was born in Lodi on May 8, 2000, represents Italy U21 team in international matches.
He made his debut with the Italy U21 national team on June 19, 2019 in a 1-0 defeat to Poland. His main position is defensive midfielder, but he is used as a central midfielder as well. Sandro’s preferred foot is right and his contract with Brescia should expire on June 30, 2021.
Highlighted Team (Estonia):
Former Soviet republic Estonia declared its independence on August 20, 1991 and they have been participating in FIFA and UEFA competitions ever since. The Estonians have yet to make it to the finals of a major tournament, but they often made life difficult for European giants in the qualifiers.
In 2010 Estonia did well to beat Serbia in Belgrade in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, but they eventually failed to qualify for the showpiece tournament. “The Blueshirts” welcome their rivals at Le Coq Arena in Tallinn and the capacity of the stadium is 10.500. Sergei Zenjov, who played for the likes of Blackpool, Karpaty and Torpedo Moscow in the past is one of the most famous Estonian footballers.
Ragnar Klavan is yet another notable footballer who plays for both Estonia national football team and Liverpool. The Estonians play their home games in blue shirts and black shorts, while they wear white shirts and white shorts when playing on the travels.
Georgia 
Turkey
Bulgaria 
Spain
Liechtenstein
Belgium
Luxembourg 
Northern Ireland 
Netherlands 
Poland 
Slovakia 
Germany
