The two most successful European nations when it comes to major honours, winning four World Cups apiece - including one in each other's backyard - Italy and Germany have often met on the game's greatest stages.
Clashes between the two have also gone down in footballing folklore across multiple generations, with the Azzurri often getting the better of Die Mannschaft for many years - but the tide has been turning of late.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between these two powerhouse nations.
© Imago
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 39
Italy wins: 15
Draws: 13
Germany wins: 11 (one on penalties)
Competitive head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 13
Italy wins: 4
Draws: 6
Germany wins: 3 (one on penalties)
Italy have enjoyed a dominant major-tournament record against Germany over a number of decades, with Die Mannschaft unable to get the better of the Azzurri until the ninth attempt.
That came in Bordeaux at Euro 2016 when a bizarre penalty shootout saw Germany progress to the semi-finals, winning 6-5 on spot kicks after both took nine, with Simone Zaza and Graziano Pelle's penalties going down in history for all the wrong reasons.
However, on the biggest stage, Italy often edge it, like they did in two of the greatest World Cup knockout matches of all time in 1970 and 2006, as well as the 1982 final.
Stages do not get any bigger in football than the World Cup decider, and after beating favourites Brazil to reach the showpiece occasion in Madrid, Italy were 3-1 winners over Germany in a fixture that gave us Marco Tardelli's famous strike and subsequent celebration.
Twelve years earlier, the two had played out a match which would go on to be dubbed the "Game of the Century" at the Azteca in the 1970 World Cup semi-finals, where Italy emerged 4-3 winners after extra time.
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger forced an additional 30 minutes with a last-gasp strike in regulation time to make it 1-1, before surely the greatest period of extra time in football history unfolded. It featured five goals, including strikes by Italian greats Gigi Riva and Gianni Rivera that helped the Azzurri prevail, before they eventually lost to that famous Brazil team in the final.
© Imago
The semi-final clash of 2006 was a masterclass in a very different way, as the tension throughout 119 minutes at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund could be cut with a knife, before Fabio Grosso's dramatic late strike which sunk the host nation and denied them the chance to play a final on home soil.
Just a minute later, Alessandro Del Piero finished off one of the finest counter-attacking goals in World Cup history to put the game to bed, and Marcello Lippi's unfancied Azzurri would go on to beat France in Berlin, securing a fourth World Cup title.
Germany were put to the sword by Italy once again at Euro 2012, in the semi-final in Warsaw, as Mario Balotelli stole the show with two stunning first-half strikes that were enough to seal a 2-1 win; but sadly for the Azzurri, they could not replicate the success from 2006 and were beaten by a dominant Spain in the final.
More recently, in the 2022 UEFA Nations League, Germany claimed bragging rights by following a 1-1 away draw with a ruthless 5-2 thumping of Italy in Monchengladbach, having led 5-0 shortly after the hour mark.
That brought about their first-ever competitive win over the Azzurri in regulation time, and Julian Nagelsmann's 2025 squad then built on such a spectacular success during the Nations League's latest edition.
Captain Joshua Kimmich scored from the spot and assisted a further four goals over the two-legged quarter-final, which ended 5-4 in favour of Die Mannschaft, but Nagelsmann's side were given a scare, because despite going 3-0 up at home in the second leg, and 5-1 on aggregate, Italy fought back with three second half goals, just falling short of reaching the semi-finals.
Germany's first win on Italian soil since February 1986, and the subsequent draw in Dortmund, continued a decade-long unbeaten streak in this historic contest.
Last 20 meetings
Mar 23, 2022: Germany 3-3 Italy (UEFA Nations League Quarter-Final Second Leg)
Mar 20, 2025: Italy 1-2 Germany (UEFA Nations League Quarter-Final First Leg)
Jun 14, 2022: Germany 5-2 Italy (UEFA Nations League Group Stage)
Jun 04, 2022: Italy 1-1 Germany (UEFA Nations League Group Stage)
Nov 15, 2016: Italy 0-0 Germany (Friendly)
Jul 02, 2016: Germany 1-1 Italy (6-5p) (Euro 2016 Quarter-Final)
Mar 29, 2016: Germany 4-1 Italy (Friendly)
Nov 15, 2013: Italy 1-1 Germany (Friendly)
Jun 28, 2012: Germany 1-2 Italy (Euro 2012 Semi-Final)
Feb 09, 2011: Germany 1-1 Italy (Friendly)
Jul 04, 2006: Germany 0-2 Italy (World Cup Semi-Final)
Mar 01, 2006: Italy 4-1 Germany (Friendly)
Aug 20, 2003: Germany 0-1 Italy (Friendly)
Jun 19, 1996: Germany 0-0 Italy (Euro 96 Group Stage)
Jun 21, 1995: Germany 2-0 Italy (Friendly)
Mar 23, 1994: Germany 2-1 Italy (Friendly)
Mar 25, 1992: Italy 1-0 Germany (Friendly)
Jun 10, 1988: West Germany 1-1 Italy (Euro 88 Group Stage)
Apr 18, 1987: West Germany 0-0 Italy (Friendly)
Feb 05, 1986: Italy 1-2 West Germany (Friendly)
Previous UEFA Nations League meetings
Mar 23, 2022: Germany 3-3 Italy (Quarter-Final Second Leg)
Mar 20, 2025: Italy 1-2 Germany (Quarter-Final First Leg)
Jun 14, 2022: Germany 5-2 Italy (Group Stage)
Jun 04, 2022: Italy 1-1 Germany (Group Stage)
Andrew Delaney
