Roberto Mancini, Italy's coach, recalled all his European Championship-winning players while Nicolo Zaniolo, his long-term injury layoff, was back.
Mancini selected 34 players for his World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland, with Leonardo Spinazzola, an injured player, missing from the 26-player team that defeated England in the Euro 2020 final.
After recovering from an injury suffered in September against the Netherlands, Roma's midfielder Zaniolo is now back. Meanwhile, Gianluca Scaacca, a Sassuolo forward, was called up to the senior squad.
It hosts Bulgaria in Florence on September 2, before facing Switzerland in Basel three day later. Then, it hosts Lithuania in Reggio Emilia Sept. 8.
Italy wants to match the record for 35 consecutive unbeaten games.