ABSTRACT
The history of football in Italy covers the entire twentieth century. The Italian FA (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) was founded in 1898 and the country affiliated to FIFA on the governing body’s inception in 1905. The inter-war years saw the first successes of the national team on the global stage with consecutive World Cup titles won on home soil in 1934 and in France in 1938. After a period of relative decline in the immediate post-war era, Italy saw its status as one of the top powers in the game sealed, first by the growing strength of its domestic league and the successes recorded from the 1960s by its club sides in European competitions (notably Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan) and second by further international titles being won by the national team (the 1968 European Championships and the 1982 World Cup).
