A day after qualifying for Euro 2020, the whole squad suited up to visit Pope Francis, presenting him a personalised Italy football shirt, with Francis' actual surname 'Bergoglio' on the back.

Roberto Mancini has extended his contract as Italy boss until 2022 after sealing qualifcation for Euro 2020. The former Man City boss will remain in charge until the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

France and Portugal are among a number of teams who can book their spot at Euro 2020 next summer on a busy night of qualifying action across the continent. Follow all the action as it happens.

CRAIG HOPE IN TBILSI: The subject of Aaron Connolly and whether he will start the Brighton teenager caused McCarthy to bristle, even though he hinted that will be the case.

Ryan and Daniel James have been accused of abusing concussion protocols after the Manchester United forward suffered a head injury during Wales's 1-1 draw with Croatia.

The football advisory panel and technical advisory panel of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will meet in Zurich on October 23. The agenda for the meeting was released on Tuesday.

As we reach a pivotal stage in Euro 2020 qualification matches, several teams are on the cusp of confirming their spot spot in next year's tournament. Sportsmail brings you the action, live.

The scoreline was perhaps flattering to Italy, as Group J basement boys Liechtenstein put up quite a fight, going perilously close to scoring several times through Dennis Salanovic.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES AND HARRY SLAVIN: Former Wales winger David Cotterill is yet to apply for charitable status for the foundation that carries his name, Sportsmail can reveal.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: The Caerphilly-born midfielder is muscular yet fragile and at the age of 30, he finds rapid physical recovery difficult to achieve, which has raised fears among supporters.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has refused to rule out handing Euro 2020 call ups to Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele de Rossi despite the pair not featuring in the Azzurri's qualification campaign.

The hosts of the 2030 World Cup will only have six years to prepare for the tournament. The FIFA Council decided at a meeting Thursday that the bidding process will be launched in 2022.

Swansea manager Steve Cooper revealed after the 1-0 win over Cardiff that the 22-year-old will be out for two months with an ankle tendon injury. Rodon will have surgery this week.

A calf injury has ruled him out of Real's last four games in all competitions, and he won't feature at home to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday, according to Real manager Zidane.

Gareth Bale has been named in the Wales squad for the decisive Euro 2020 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Hungary despite a calf problem. He has not played since October 13.

Ryan Giggs has criticised brain injury charity Headway for questioning Wales' medical department following an apparent concussion incident involving winger Daniel James.

Former Wales manager Chris Coleman is eager to get back into management after a spell in the Chinese Super League with Hebei China Fortune.

A number of teams have released the shirts they will be wearing at Euro 2020 next summer. The likes of Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium have all unveiled their kits.

Gareth Bale trained with the Wales squad ahead of their decisive Euro 2020 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Hungary. Real Madrid star Bale has not played since suffering a calf injury.

Raheem Sterling will miss Thursday's Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley after an altercation with Joe Gomez at St George's Park.

Wales defender Ben Davies confirmed Bale completed Tuesday's session in its entirety and he now seems certain to start against Azerbaijan in Baku on Saturday, despite missing the past month.

The UEFA-appointed female translator was removed following the bizarre question with concerns that she didn't possess the knowledge or experience, according to The Sun.

Gareth Bale heads into Wales' decisive Euro 2020 qualifiers admitting he is more excited to play for his country than Real Madrid. Bale has been at the centre of a Spanish media storm.

Sportsmail's DANIEL DAVIS will provide live coverage including score, lineups and build-up, with full commentary of Spain vs Malta and Bosnia vs Italy.

Italy continued their renaissance as they cruised to an impressive 3-0 win away to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night and made it nine wins out of nine in Euro 2020 Group J.

Granit Xhaka is an unpopular figure at Arsenal at the moment after telling fans to 'f*** off' against Crystal Palace and has appeared to take another dig with another cryptic Instagram post.

Ryan Giggs appears finally to have discovered a successful formula for Wales - and he is within touching distance of being able to use it on one of football's greatest stages.

Gareth Bale believes Wales reaching the European Championship next summer could trump the achievement of playing at Euro 2016. Wales ended a 58-year wait in 2016.

TOM COLLOMOSSE IN CARDIFF: If Giggs guides his team to victory over Hungary in the winner-takes-all clash and secures a place at Euro 2020, it will be a significant achievement.

Sportsmail provide you with everything you need to know for Euro 2020 play-offs including when they will begin, how the play-offs work, play-offs format, teams involved and more.

The winner in Cardiff on Tuesday will qualify for next summer's European Championship, while a draw will be enough for Hungary if Slovakia fail to beat rock bottom Azerbaijan at home.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho likened Italy's current side to Brazil due to their attacking flair, creativity and goalscoring prowess following their 9-1 win over Armenia. 

Gareth Bale poked fun at Aaron Ramsey's lack of game time in Wales' Euro 2020 qualifying campaign after his double against Hungary booked their spot at next year's tournament.

Gareth Bale risked further upsetting the Real Madrid hierarchy as he danced with a Welsh flag bearing the lyrics to the song 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order'.

The forward posed with a flag with the words 'Wales, golf, Madrid... in that order' on it after securing Euro 2020 qualification on Tuesday night after fans sang a song with those lyrics.

Next summer's European Championship is really taking shape, with 20 of the 24 nations now confirmed for the finals. We profile each of the qualifiers so far here.

TOM COLLOMOSSE IN CARDIFF: Aaron Ramsey is determined to help Wales eclipse their memorable Euro 2016 campaign after scoring twice to send them to next year's Finals.

The Wales star helped his country qualify for next summer's European Championships during the international break, and was snapped with the contentious flag while celebrating.

PETE JENSON IN MADRID: Gareth Bale was back in training for Real Madrid on the day Marca's front page accused him of being: 'irresponsible, wrong, ungrateful. In that order.'

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Wales boss Ryan Giggs and revealed his pride at the former Manchester United winger enjoying managerial success.

The Spanish media are still raging over Gareth Bale's celebrations this week where he appeared to mock Real Madrid with a banner unfurled after his country had booked their place at Euro 2020.

PETER CROUCH: It is too early to predict what will happen at Tottenham, but watching television on Thursday, something struck me about Jose Mourinho.

Bale posed with a flag with the words 'Wales, golf, Madrid... in that order' on it after Wales secured Euro 2020 qualification last week. His celebrations have led to controversy in Spain.

The draw for Euro 2020 takes place in Bucharest at 5pm on Saturday evening and is live on BBC2 for UK viewers. Sportsmail take you through all you need to know for the draw.

BY JOE BERNSTEIN IN BUCHAREST: Wales boss Ryan Giggs revealed his delight at avoiding an opening Euro 2020 game away to Italy after Saturday's draw in Bucharest.

Gareth Bale has recently been criticised back in Madrid for showing more interest in golf than football and arranges rounds during time off when on duty with Wales.

On Wednesday night, Zinedine Zidane's side enjoyed a break from their arduous schedule by hitting the town and going out for a squad meal to celebrate Christmas.

The TV picks for next summer's tournament have been revealed, with ITV showing England's final two group matches, including the final game with the Czech Republic.

The FA have announced that England are set to face Italy on the 27th March at Wembley Stadium. It comes as they continue their preparations for the Euro 2020 which kicks off in June.

Extra security measures will be put in place for Wales' friendly match with the United States in March following the rising tension in the Persian Gulf.