Italy_national_under-23_football_team
Italy national under-23 football team
Italy's national under-23 football team
The Italy national under-23 football team (Italian: Nazionale Under-23 di calcio dell'Italia) represented Italy in international under-23 football competitions. Managed by the Italian Football Federation, it ceased to exist after the suppression of the UEFA European Under-23 Championship in 1977; its heir is the Olympic team, which has the same age criteria as the former under-23s.
The under-23's best result in UEFA competitions was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1974 UEFA European Under-23 Championship. An impromptu U-23 team was formed in 1997, twenty years after their most recent appearance; they won the football tournament of the 1997 Mediterranean Games. As of 2022, an Italy U-23 team has not played ever since.