Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, right, smiles as he sits in the stands next to his assistant Gabriele Pin prior to the Serie A soccer match between Parma and Genoa at Parma's Tardini stadium, Italy, Sunday, March 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Marco Vasini)

MILAN (AP) -- Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has agreed to a two-year contract extension, keeping him in charge of the team until 2016.

His contract had been set to run until after the World Cup in Brazil, but the new deal will take him through the European Championship in France.

Prandelli left Fiorentina to take charge of the Azzurri in 2010. He transformed Italy from a team that was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup to a European Championship runner-up.

Italy easily qualified for the tournament in Brazil and will play England, Costa Rica and Uruguay at the World Cup.