Mohamed Ali Zoma's Chance with Italy Grows as Mancini Plans Nations League
The first international break of the 2026-27 season is looming, and one name keeps surfacing around Coverciano: Mohamed Ali Zoma.
The 1. FC Nürnberg winger, tearing up the 2. Bundesliga, is widely tipped to be part of Roberto Mancini’s first Italy squad since his return to the Azzurri bench. With a long, two-week Nations League window against Belgium, Turkiye, France and Turkiye again on the horizon, Mancini looks ready to refresh a side still reeling from missing out on the 2026 World Cup.
Mancini’s second act, and a very different Italy
These will be Mancini’s first matches back in charge after he was brought in over the summer to replace Gennaro Gattuso as CT. The context is unforgiving: a “massively disappointing” calendar year, no World Cup ticket, and a fanbase demanding both results and renewal.
This is exactly the kind of moment when a coach gambles. Veterans come under scrutiny. Young talent gets fast-tracked. And in Italy’s case, there is another layer: dual-national players who can still be lost to other federations if they are not tied down.
Zoma sits right at the heart of that debate.
Born and raised in Merate, the 22-year-old is fully eligible for Italy, but he can also represent Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast through his parents. Any delay, and those doors remain open.
From AlbinoLeffe to Nürnberg – and into the spotlight
Zoma’s route has not been the classic academy-to-top-flight pipeline. He came through at AlbinoLeffe, representing both the youth and senior sides of the Serie C club for several years, building his game away from the mainstream glare.
Last summer, Nürnberg moved decisively. The German club paid €1.5m to bring him to the 2. Bundesliga. It already looks like one of the bargains of the window.
Zoma exploded in his debut campaign: 19 goal involvements in the league, split between 14 goals and five assists, from just 29 appearances. This season, he has started even faster. Five goals in his first five league outings of 2026-27 have pushed his name from data sheets into headlines.
The numbers are no longer background noise. They are forcing decisions.
Transfer interest and a soaring valuation
That form inevitably drew attention. According to Sky Sport DE reporter Florian Plettenberg, clubs circled in the final days of the summer transfer window. Nürnberg’s response was clear: hands off.
The German side were “adamant” about keeping him and now reportedly value the winger at around €20m. In one year, Zoma has gone from a low-key Serie C talent to a player carrying an eight-figure price tag and a national-team tug of war.
Mancini calls, Zoma listens
Amid the speculation, the most significant contact came not from a club, but from a national coach.
Zoma confirmed to Sky that he has already spoken directly with Mancini about a possible call-up. “It’s true, Roberto Mancini and I have spoken. He said that he is keeping an eye on me and that I should keep going like this, and then we’ll see.”
The message is classic Mancini: encouragement, but no guarantees. Yet the direction of travel is obvious.
Tuttosport reports that an Italy call-up is “increasingly close” for the 22-year-old. TMW go even further, predicting that Zoma will be included in the next Azzurri squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.
If that happens, Italy will not just gain one of the most in-form wingers in Germany’s second tier. They will also close the door on Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, securing a player whose rise has matched the urgency of a national team in search of a new identity.
The squad list will tell its own story.
