Many of you are probably glued to the World Cup right now, but even if you couldn’t care less about the sport, it’s worth tuning in just to hear some Italian commentary: the tournament is an absolute goldmine of words and expressions we use far beyond the football pitch. Let’s explore some!
Before kickoff
1. I titolari
The starters
When the lineups are read out before the game starts, these are the names everyone is waiting to hear.
Vediamo la grafica con i ventidue titolari che scenderanno in campo tra poco.
Let’s look at the graphic with the twenty-two starters who’ll be taking the field shortly.
The word comes from titolo (title), the idea being that these players “hold the title” to a starting spot. But titolare is not just for football talk; we use it a lot in everyday life for whoever officially holds a role or position, no ball involved:
- iI titolare del negozio: the shop owner
- Il titolare del conto: the account holder
- Il titolare della linea telefonica: the phone line holder
2. Le riserve
The bench players
These are the ones who didn’t make the starting eleven: they just wait on the panchina (bench), jacket zipped up, ready to be called.
La forza di questa squadra sta proprio qui: entrano le riserve e il livello del gioco non si abbassa di un millimetro.
The strength of this team lies right here: the substitutes come on and the level of play doesn’t drop a millimeter.
In everyday Italian, the term riserva keeps the same core idea: something kept aside, just in case things go wrong:
- Le riserve di acqua: the water reserves
- La riserva aurea: gold reserve
- La riserva marina: marine reserve
- Tenere di riserva: to keep as a backup
3. Squadra che vince non si cambia
You don’t change a winning team / Why mess with what’s working (literally, “a winning team doesn’t get changed”)
During a match, an Italian commentator might shout this right when the starting lineup graphics appear on screen, or while talking through tactical choices.
Confermata la formazione della scorsa settimana, squadra che vince non si cambia!
Same team as last week, you don’t change a winning team!
The expression is credited to Vujadin Boskov, a Serbian coach who worked in Italy in the 1980s and 1990s. It stuck so well that it became a beloved everyday saying: when something is going well, why on earth would you change it?
Il governo conferma tutti i ministri: squadra che vince non si cambia.
The government confirmes all ministers: why mess with what’s working.
4. Partire favorito / sfavorito
To start as the favorite / the underdog
Every match gets its hero and its hopeless case before kickoff, and these are the expressions Italian commentators commonly use during all that pre-match talk.
Quando giochi contro una squadra che in casa non perde da un anno, inevitabilmente parti sfavorito.
When you play against a team that hasn’t lost at home in a year, you inevitably start as the underdog.
What’s interesting here is the s- prefix, which flips the meaning of a word into its opposite or a negative version, like:
- Favorevole (favourable) —> Sfavorevole (unfavourable)
- Fortunato (lucky) —> Sfortunato (unlucky)
- Contento (happy) —> Scontento (unhappy)
On the ball
5. Far girare la palla
To keep the ball moving (literally, “to make the ball turn”)
In Italian football commentary, far girare la palla is a very common expression to describe passing the ball around, usually moving it quickly and fluidly from one side of the pitch to the other to tire the opponent out or find an opening.
Mancano solo tre minuti al novantesimo: l’obiettivo adesso è solo far girare la palla e aspettare il fischio finale.
There are only three minutes left until the 90th minute: the goal now is just to keep the ball moving and wait for the final whistle.
Outside football, far girare keeps the same meaning of making something move or circulate:
- Far girare l’economia: to make the economy move
- Far girare la testa: to make someone’s head spin (from dizziness, or from attraction)
- Far girare le scatole: to be really annoying (literally, to make the boxes spin)
Take note of fare + infinitive, a pattern we use all the time in casual Italian in place of verbs that feel a bit more formal, for instance:
- Far sapere instead of informare: to inform
- Far vedere instead of mostrare: to show
- Far ricordare instead of rammentare: to remind
6. Dribblare
To dribble
A striker gets the ball, a defender rushes in to stop him, but a little shift of the hips and poof, the striker just goes through him: that’s dribblare in a nutshell.
Recupera palla, prova a dribblare, ma il difensore fa un ottimo recupero in scivolata!
He wins the ball back, tries to dribble past, but the defender makes a great sliding tackle to recover!
This verb comes straight from the English “to dribble,” with the -are suffix added on so it acts like a proper Italian verb. In everyday conversation, we use it with the same idea of avoiding something, except instead of a football player, what’s being dodged is a question, or a topic we would rather not touch.
Durante la conferenza stampa, il ministro ha dribblato la domanda del giornalista.
During the press conference, the minister dodged the journalist’s question.
7. Recuperare palla
To win the ball back, to regain possession
Commentators love this expression, because winning the ball back is usually the moment when a counterattack begins.
Ottimo anticipo del centrale che va a recuperare la palla di testa.
Excellent anticipation from the center-back who wins the ball back with a header.
In everyday Italian, recuperare covers every kind of getting back and catching up:
- Recuperare tempo: to make up for lost time
- Recuperare le forze: to recover the strength
- Recuperare il sonno arretrato: to catch up on sleep
- Recuperare un rapporto: to salvage a relationship
- Recuperare le perdite: to recoup losses
8. Cambiare passo
To change pace
This expression captures that moment a team hits the gas, moving the ball faster and pressing harder to take control of the game.
L’ingresso in campo del nuovo centrocampista ha fatto cambiare passo a tutta la squadra.
The introduction of the new midfielder made the whole team shift gears.
Outside football, cambiare passo is what we say when we decide to step our game up, like:
L’azienda deve cambiare passo se vuole rimanere competitiva.
The company must step it up if it wants to remain competitive.
9. Un colpo di testa
A header (literally, “a blow of the head”)
On the pitch, un colpo di testa can flip a whole match, whether it’s putting the ball in the net or neutralizing a dangerous cross.
Il difensore anticipa tutti con un grande colpo di testa e mette il pallone in calcio d’angolo.
The defender anticipates everyone with a great header and puts the ball out for a corner kick.
Off the pitch, this expression takes on a different, figurative meaning: doing something on a whim, without thinking much about the consequences.
Ha lasciato il lavoro per trasferirsi in Australia, un vero colpo di testa!
He left his job to move to Australia, a totally impulsive move!
10. Entrare a gamba tesa
To go in studs-up (literally, “to enter with a straight leg”)
This is the straight-legged tackle that makes the whole stadium gasp in unison, and because it poses a serious risk of injury, the referee almost always blows the whistle for a fallo (foul).
L’attaccante cerca di anticipare il pallone ma finisce per entrare a gamba tesa sul portiere.
The striker tries to get to the ball first but ends up going in with a straight leg on the goalkeeper.
Entrare a gamba tesa is a very popular phrase outside football too. In daily life, we use it when someone jumps into a conversation with zero diplomacy and total lack of subtlety.
Il consulente è entrato a gamba tesa nel dibattito, stroncando tutte le idee del team.
The consultant joined the debate in a confrontational way, tearing apart all the team’s ideas.
The goal (and the miss!)
11. Segnare
To score (literally, “to mark”)
Segnare is the key verb for scoring a goal in Italian. It comes from the Latin signare, “to mark,” the same root that gives English “sign” and “signature.” A goal, in other words, is treated as a mark left on the match.
Il giocatore della Fiorentina calcia di potenza e segna allo scadere.
The Fiorentina player unleashes a powerful shot and scores right at the end.
That “leaving a mark” idea is what segnare does outside football too: it’s the verb for jotting something down, making a note, leaving a trace. For example, we say:
- Segnare un appuntamento: to mark down an appointment
- Segnare un numero: to write down a number
- Segnare i punti: to keep score
12. Rete!
Goal (literally, “net”)
Rete! Rete! Rete! is the classic shout you’ll hear from Italian commentators.
But rete has plenty of uses in everyday Italian too, from threads woven together to catch fish (or balls!) to any modern system connecting distinct points, and ultimately, the internet itself.
- La rete da pesca: the fishing net
- La rete idrica / elettrica: the water/power grid
- Una rete di contatti: a network of contacts
- Navigare in rete: to browse the internet
13. Il calcio di punizione
The free kick (literally, “the kick of punishment”)
Il calcio di punizione (also shorten to la punizione) is the kick a team is awarded after someone on the other side fouls one of their players. What we have here is one guy trying to pull off a miracle by bending the ball over a human barriera (barrier) to score a goal — needless to say, the tension is usually pretty high.
C’è tantissima tensione intorno a questo calcio di punizione perché può decidere la partita.
There is a massive amount of tension surrounding this free kick, as it could decide the match.
In everyday Italian, la punizione is the standard word for any consequence of bad behaviour. For example, a parent might tell a teenager Sei in punizione (You’re grounded), or a judge might decide on una punizione severa (a harsh punishment).
14. Il rigore
The penalty kick
The rigore is football’s version of a western duel: just a stricer, a goalkeeper, and that tiny penalty spot (dischetto).
Il portiere intuisce tutto e neutralizza il rigore con la punta delle dita. Che parata straordinaria!
The goalkeeper reads it completely and neutralizes the penalty with his fingertips. What an extraordinary save!
The word rigore comes from the Latin rigor (to be rigid), and fittingly, the penalty kick is the ultimate, strict punishment for a major foul. That same idea of strictness is what rigore means in everyday Italian too:
- Il rigore scientifico: the scientific rigor
- Il rigore dell’inverno: the harshness of winter
- A rigor di logica: strictly speaking
15. Una papera
A blooper (literally, “a female duck”)
In Italian football commentary, la papera is a funny word for an embarrassing blunder, like when a goalkeeper lets a simple shot slip through their legs, or fumbles a routine back-pass.
Clamorosa papera del portiere! Il pallone gli sfugge dalle mani e rotola in porta.
An incredible blunder by the keeper! The ball slips through his hands and rolls right into the net.
Outside the pitch, papera equally works for an embarrassing mistake:
Il presentatore ha fatto una papera in diretta.
The presenter made a blooper live on air.
On a cultural note, in Italy we have a TV show called Paperissima, dedicated entirely to bloopers (-issima is the superlative suffix turning papera into “the ultimate blunder”).
16. Fare un autogol
To score against your own team (literally, “to make an auto-goal”)
This is when a player manages to score, but at the wrong end of the pitch.
Il difensore del Bologna ha fatto un autogol clamoroso.
The Bologna defender scored an incredible own goal.
In everyday conversation, fare un autogol captures that same idea of scoring against ourselves, like when we say or do something that ends up working against our own interests.
Criticando il capo in quel modo ha fatto un autogol per la sua carriera.
By criticizing the boss like that, he really shot himself in the foot career-wise.
17. Prendere il palo
To hit the post
This expression describes the unfortunate moment a player’s shot hits the post instead of going into the net — che sfiga (what bad luck), as we fans would say!
Ha cercato l’angolo interno ma ha finito per prendere il palo.
He looked for the inside corner but ended up hitting the post.
But switch the article from definite to indefinite (prendere il palo —> prendere un palo) and the meaning changes to being rejected romantically:
Povero Luca: pensava di piacerle e le ha chiesto di uscire, ma ha preso un palo!
Poor Luca: he thought she liked him and asked her out, but he got totally rejected!
The fans
18. Il pubblico delle grandi occasioni
The big-occasion crowd
When the match is big, Italian commentators love to use the expression il pubblico delle grandi occasioni to mean the stadium is packed with that exceptionally large, passionate crowd that shows up when a trophy or a major rivalry is at stake.
C’è il pubblico delle grandi occasioni stasera all’Olimpico per la finale di Coppa Italia.
The Olimpico is packed tonight for the Coppa Italia final.
In everyday Italian, the phrase delle grandi occasioni happily attaches itself to anything that only gets brought out when something important is happening:
- Il vestito delle grandi occasioni: the special-occasion outfit
- Il vino delle grandi occasioni: the special-occasion wine
- Il servizio delle grandi occasioni: the special-occasion china
19. Tifare
To root for, to cheer for
Commentators in Italy use tifare to describe how fans support their team.
Arrivano da ogni parte d’Italia e non hanno smesso un secondo di tifare per la squadra.
They come from all over Italy and haven’t stopped cheering for the team for a second.
This verb comes from tifo (typhus), so the idea here is that football devotion is like an infectious medical condition. And this image of feverish, delirious attachment is also what makes tifare works so well in everyday life too: we use it when someone backs another person or cause with the same intensity.
Qualsiasi decisione tu prenda, sappi che io tiferò sempre per te.
Whatever decision you make, just know that I will always root for you.
20. La fede calcistica
Football faith
Once the fever of tifare takes over, it naturally elevates into something much more divine: pure faith! Yep, in Italy, having a favorite club is a bit of a calling!
Guardate i tifosi in curva, uno spettacolo da brividi! Una dimostrazione di fede calcistica che va ben oltre il semplice tifo.
Look at the fans on the stand, what an incredible show! A breathtaking display of football devotion that goes far beyond just supporting a team.
The word fede covers faith in every shape it takes, and outside football it touches the deepest parts of life:
- Un atto di fede: leap of faith
- La fede nuziale: the wedding ring (from the idea of a pledge of faith)
- Abbi fede!: Have faith!
The press conference
21. Dobbiamo pensare partita per partita
We need to take it one game at a time (literally, “we need to think game by game”)
Coaches and players use this phrase when they don’t want to look too far ahead.
Oggi abbiamo vinto, ma fare calcoli per lo scudetto adesso sarebbe un errore. Dobbiamo pensare partita per partita.
We won today, but it would be a mistake to start doing the math for the title race now. We need to take it one game at a time.
The interesting element here is the X per X structure, which we use anytime we want to break something down one unit at a time, for instance:
- Giorno per giorno: day by day
- Punto per punto: point by point
- Parola per parola: word for word
- Passo per passo: step by step
- Caso per caso: case by case
- Uno per uno: one by one
22. Dobbiamo voltare pagina
We need to move on (literally, “we must turn the page”)
This is the typical expression used when a result was so bad the only logical thing is to stop talking about it.
Dobbiamo voltare pagina, ritrovare la fiducia e dimostrare sul campo il nostro valore già dalla prossima partita.
We need to move on, regain confidence, and show what we’re really capable of starting with the very next match.
Outside football, this is the perfect phrase for when we need to stop looking backward and start focusing entirely on what’s next.
Era il momento di voltare pagina: ho dato le dimissioni e domani inizio un nuovo lavoro!
It was time to move on: I handed in my resignation and tomorrow I start a new job!
23. C’è ancora molto da lavorare
There’s still a lot of work to be done
This is another very common phrase used both during commentary and in post-match press conferences. After an ugly win, it keeps everyone grounded, and after a bad loss, it turns a poor performance into just part of a work in progress.
È stata una bella vittoria, ma c’è ancora molto da lavorare se la squadra vuole competere per le posizioni di vertice.
It was a good win, but there’s still a lot of work to do if the team wants to compete at the top.
Structurally, it relies on a key pattern in conversational Italian: c’è + da + infinitive. You’ll hear this everywhere as a quick, easy way to say there is something to be done. For example:
- C’è da preoccuparsi: there’s reason to worry
- C’è da ridere: there’s to laugh about
- C’è da aspettare un’ora: there’s an hour’s wait
- C’è da impazzire: it’s enough to drive you crazy
- Non c’è da stupirsi: it’s no surprise / there’s no reason to be surprised
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
