MILAN (AP) — AC Milan’s match against Como, which at one point might have been played in Australia, will now be held Feb. 18 at the San Siro during the Winter Olympics.
The Italian soccer league confirmed the fixture time on Saturday — raising to three the number of Serie A games to be held in Milan during the Milan Cortina Games.
And that won’t even be the biggest Serie A game held in the city during the Olympics.
Serie A leader Inter Milan will host rival Juventus — annually one of the league’s biggest matchups — on Saturday, Feb. 14 with an 8:45 p.m. (1945 GMT) kickoff at the San Siro. The United States will play Denmark in a men’s hockey game at the same time; with short-track speedskating also being contested that night in Milan.
Then Milan will host Parma on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) in a match that should finish at about the same time that the Olympic closing ceremony is starting in Verona.
The Olympics run Feb. 6-22.
The Milan-Como game was originally scheduled for the first weekend of the Games but the San Siro will be used for the opening ceremony on Friday and won’t be available that weekend. That issue had prompted Serie A to consider moving the match to Perth, Australia.
Now, the Milan-Como game will also be played at the same time as Champions League playoffs.
For the Feb. 17-18 playoffs, Inter plays the first leg away at Bodø/Glimt, Atalanta visits Borussia Dortmund and Juventus travels to Galatasaray.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Juventus' Kenan Yildiz celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Napoli in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Pisa, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
MILAN (AP) — Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso left his role “by mutual consent” on Friday, three days after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
The Italian soccer federation announced the news in a statement thanking Gattuso “for the dedication and passion” during his nine months in charge.
Italy’s chances of reaching this year’s tournament in North America ended on Tuesday after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff.
“With pain in my heart, not having achieved the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my experience on the national team bench to be over,” Gattuso said.
Gattuso’s departure comes a day after Italy’s soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina resigned along with Gianluigi Buffon, who was the national team’s delegation chief.
The defeat to Bosnia added more misery for four-time champion Italy after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.
Gattuso took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June with the squad already in crisis mode following a defeat at Norway in its opening qualifier.
The Azzurri then went on a six-match winning streak before another loss to Norway in November to finish second in their group and end up in the playoffs again.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso greets Federico Dimarco during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso directs his team during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures from the touchline during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures from the touchline during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso walks off the pitch after losing in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
