England will take on Italy in a glamour friendly next year, the Football Association has announced.
Roy Hodgson's team will play the Azzurri, who beat the Three Lions 2-1 in the World Cup, on March 31 at an Italian venue which is yet to be decided.
England will return the favour by hosting the Italians in a friendly after Euro 2016 and before the 2018 World Cup.
The friendly next March will be the 26th time the Three Lions have played Italy, who, like England, failed to qualify from their group in Brazil.
"Italy have always provided stern opposition for England and these two fixtures will be no different," said England manager Hodgson, who has managed Italian clubs Inter Milan and Udinese.
"Italian teams are always set up very well and they have a great history of producing world class footballers. It will give us great preparation leading into major international tournaments.
"After managing in Italy with Inter Milan, it will be a fantastic experience for me personally to go back to Italy and manage England."
The last time England played in Italy was 14 years ago, when Gennaro Gattuso's strike won the game at the Stadio Delle Alpi, which was David Beckham's first match as captain.
Source: PA
