On April 4, 1926, the Italian men’s national basketball team played its first match, defeating France 23–17 on an outdoor clay court in Milan. The Easter Sunday fixture at 2:15 p.m. marked the debut for the Azzurri, whose governing body, the FIP, had been established on November 2, 1921.
The Clay Court at Poligono della Cagnola
The contest took place in the courtyard of the Poligono di tiro della Cagnola in the northwestern district of Milan. While the exact attendance figures remain unrecorded and no photographs of the original dirt pitch survive, the site sits near the modern-day piazzale Accursio, just past viale Certosa. Records show the area served as a focal point for early Italian basketball development, surrounded by historical sports grounds that later defined the city’s athletic landscape.
Italy took the field wearing white jerseys featuring the House of Savoy shield, while the French squad wore blue. Marco Muggiani coached the Italian side, supported by referees Augusto Vitali of Italy and Beaupois of France. The opening half ended 12–6 in favor of the hosts, who maintained their advantage through the second half to secure the 23–17 victory.
The Pioneers of the Azzurri Roster
Italy registered seven players for the fixture, utilizing a tactical setup common to the era featuring three attackers and two defenders. Carlo Cavenini led the scoring with 9 points, followed by Giannino Valli with 8 points and Alberto Valera with 6 points. Gianni Ortelli and team captain Guido Brocca rounded out the starting lineup. Brocca, born in 1900 and aged 26 at the time, served as the eldest member of the squad. Umberto Fedeli and Clemente Caccianiga completed the roster as the substitutes.
Most of the squad formed the core of Assi Milano, a club side that claimed six Italian league championships between 1921 and 1927. An exception was Ortelli, who was born in New York as a returning emigrant before moving back to the United States in 1927. The French delegation traveled to Milan by train with a squad of six players, including Jean-Marie Conty—noted by contemporary reports for standing 1.90 meters tall—alongside reserve player René Remus.
Although basketball history in France traces back to an 1893 exhibition in a Paris school gymnasium—predating Italy’s introduction to the sport via Ida Pesciolini in 1907 and the first recorded Italian club match in Milan in 1919—both federations recognize the April 1926 encounter as their national team’s starting point.
The First Away Trip in Paris
The fixture initiated an international rivalry that has since surpassed 1,574 recorded matches. On April 18, 1927, the two teams met for a return fixture at the Arènes de Lutece in Paris. The match marked Italy’s first away international, resulting in a 18–22 victory for the Azzurri. Cavenini scored 12 points to become the first Italian player to reach double figures in a single international fixture, with Valli adding 6 points and Valera contributing 4.
Competitive international tournaments followed later, with the 1935 European championship in Switzerland, where France placed fifth and Italy finished seventh.
