Italy Used To Rule The World Cup. Now It Could Miss A Third Straight.

For generations, playing successful nan World Cup was akin to Italian birthright.

The federation made each tourney from 1958 to 2014. It joined Brazil and Germany arsenic nan only nations to triumph nan World Cup 4 times, its astir caller title coming successful 2006. A tally heavy into nan knockout shape became arsenic expected arsenic nan Azzurri’s signature bluish jerseys.

Then Italy was stunningly knocked retired of nan group shape astatine World Cups successful 2010 and 2014. It grounded to suffice astatine each for nan 2018 version — then, it missed retired successful 2022, arsenic well.

Even erstwhile nan section for this summer’s World Cup was expanded from 32 to 48 teams, nan largest successful tourney history, Italy was stunningly still nary fastener to qualify. In December, erstwhile 42 teams learned their opponents successful nan group stage, Italy had to hold 4 much months to cognize whether its antecedently unthinkable World Cup drought would beryllium broken, aliases extended.

That result will travel Tuesday, erstwhile Italy plays Bosnia and Herzegovina successful a playoff lucifer that eliminates nan loser and sends nan victor into a group pinch Canada, Qatar and Switzerland erstwhile nan tourney opens this summertime crossed Mexico, Canada and nan U.S.

The last six spots successful nan World Cup will beryllium decided Tuesday successful playoff games that could spot aggregate longshot teams qualify. Congo, which hasn’t played successful a World Cup since 1974, will look Jamaica, which is looking to make its first quality since 1998. Iraq, seeking its first berth since 1986, and Bolivia, absent since 1994, will look disconnected successful different playoff game.

Compared to those countries, Italy’s drought has lasted a fraction of nan length. But nary of those countries has Italy’s tradition. Italy is successful this do-or-die position only aft narrowly edging past Northern Ireland past week successful a playoff semifinal. Gennaro Gattuso, nan Italian coach, told reporters that he’d felt “butterflies” during nan game.

Italy had “taken a small measurement forward,” Gattuso said. “Now we person to climb nan mountain, nan Everest. We cognize that there’s a batch astatine stake.”

Gattuso, 48, knows astir pressure. He played connected Italy’s 2006 squad that lifted nan World Cup trophy by outlasting France connected nerve-wracking punishment kicks. But erstwhile he took nan Italian occupation past June — his predecessor was fired aft Italy was unopen retired successful losses to Norway and Moldova successful World Cup qualifying — it came pinch once-unthinkable stakes. Not to return Italy to nan apical of nan sport, but simply into nan bracket. Italy’s first prime to coach had turned down nan job. Gattuso had little than a twelvemonth to propulsion disconnected qualifying.

“We’ve been emotion affirmative since nan coach arrived, we’ve sewage to proceed for illustration this, there’s nary different action but to win,” Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali said aft nan triumph against Northern Ireland.

Sandro Tonali of Italy celebrates aft scoring his team's first extremity during nan FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers playoffs against Northern Ireland. Mattia Ozbot / Getty Images

Italy’s diminution wasn’t ever truthful obvious. It was nan runner-up successful nan European championships — a title often seen arsenic a bellwether for a nation’s World Cup fittingness — successful 2000 and 2012, and won successful 2020. But nether nan surface, Italy’s developmental programme was eroding, erstwhile subordinate Marco Amelia, nan goalkeeper of nan 2006 team, told Reuters.

“The triumph successful 2006 covered and hid nan limits that nan nationalist strategy already had successful position ​of structures and preparation,” Amelia said. “We didn’t put capable religion successful promising young players, and clubs invested excessively small successful semipermanent planning. In Serie A (Italy’s apical home league) ​there’s a very precocious percent of overseas players. The only measurement to alteration this is for clubs to put much ⁠in young Italians, knowing that immoderate of those investments mightiness fail.”

Deloitte, nan world accounting giant, has classed which clubs make nan astir gross for decades. In 2006, 3 Italian teams vanished successful nan apical seven.

By 2025, however, nan highest-ranked squad from Serie A, Inter Milan, classed 11th. The apical 20 featured 3 Italian teams, compared to 9 from England’s ascendant Premier League.

The past clip an Italian squad won nan Champions League, nan apical title among European clubs, was 2010.

“Before, Italian players ne'er went abroad,” Massimo Oddo, different personnel of nan 2006 squad told Reuters. “Now they do, and mediocre players get successful Italy, taking abstraction distant from ​Italians. Italian shot should modernise nan younker sector, because nan talent exists, but is not good supported.”

Gattuso isn’t nan only erstwhile Azzurri awesome nan state has turned to successful hopes of restoring its nationalist team’s worldwide standing. When nan country’s shot federation went looking for a caller caput successful 2023, it turned to Gianluigi Buffon, nan goalkeeper who became an iconic fig successful Italian shot aft taking portion successful 5 World Cups, including 2006. His duty could beryllium seen arsenic personal; his world profession representing Italy ended successful 2017 erstwhile nan state was eliminated from World Cup qualifying. He near nan section of Milan’s famed San Siro stadium tearful.

“There is still a early for our football,” Buffon said aft nan 2017 elimination. “We are a proud, stubborn and hard-working federation and we ever find a measurement of lifting ourselves up aft bad falls.”

That sentiment will beryllium tested Tuesday against Bosnia and Herzegovina. If Italy misses a 3rd consecutive World Cup, Buffon has reportedly said he will measurement aside.

“Failing to suffice for nan World Cup would beryllium an tremendous blow,” Oddo said.