The latest Italy World Cup failure saw the Azzuri fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after drawing 1-1 with Bosnia & Herzegovina but losing on penalties in the Play-Offs Final.
This Italy World Cup failure means that the Azzurri have now failed to qualify for the last three World Cups.
The four-time World Champions, who have given birth to players like Roberto Baggio, Paolo Rossi, Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi, last played in a World Cup in 2014.
In the match against Bosnia, the Italians played with 10 men from the 42nd minute after Alessandro Bastoni was sent off.
Italy World Cup Failure: Azzuri Stars Miss Out On 2026 World Cup
The Italy World Cup failure has happened despite having some outstanding players who play for some top teams in Europe.
Moise Kean, who scored against Bosnia & Herzegovina, set a new record of scoring in six international matches in a row and thereby broke Salvatore Schillaci’s record set in the 1990 World Cup.
In Nicolo Barella, the Italians have a tireless midfielder, who kept dropping deep to link with the central defenders repeatedly against Bosnia and also registered an assist by playing a one-touch pass to Kean.
Manuel Locatelli and Sandro Tonali are also quality midfielders, and Gianluigi Donnarumma is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Federico Di Marco, the left wing-back for Inter Milan and Italy, has a very impressive six goals and 13 assists in 28 matches for Inter this season. It is unheard of for defenders to have that many assists in a single season.
Still, there are a few glaring weaknesses that have become Italy’s bane in the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
26-year-old striker Mateo Retegui has managed to score a respectable 11 goals for his country in 28 matches, but he plays in the Saudi Pro League in the prime of his career, thereby depriving himself of the opportunity to play in Europe and test himself among the best.
Mateo Politano is an experienced player, but not quite the right wing-back that Gennaro Gattuso saw in him.
The Napoli player is more of a winger and has clearly not been enjoying the defensive responsibility, which meant that Barella had to drop back repeatedly fill in for him against Bosnia.
That meant that Italy’s most creative player was busy helping defenders out for the majority of the match. Hence, Gattuso cannot deny the responsibility for the Italy World Cup failure completely.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Sandro Tonali To Manchester United: Can He Be The Perfect Casemiro Replacement?
Italy World Cup Failure: The Success Of Euro 2020 Seems A Lifetime Ago
Italy’s triumph in the tournament that took place in 2021 was largely fashioned by the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne, each of whom retired not long after the tournament.
Donnarumma, Locatelli, Bastoni and Barella are the survivors of that tournament who still play for the national team.
They are the nucleus on which the team for the future is to be built, but Gattuso cannot deny the responsibility for the Italy World Cup failure.
He might very well be sacked as a consequence of that, but the Italy World Cup qualification failure should have more serious ramifications in the football set-up of the country, as they continue to falter when it comes to qualifying for the World Cup.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto
Recording Date: 31.03.2026
