Italy at the men’s World Cup: from volleyball to cricket we are always there… with two exceptions

Yet we go to all the other World Cups. And, believe it or not, we are the only ones in the world, us and the Americans. That is, Italy has qualified for the final stages of the World Cup in all men’s team sports, with only two exceptions, as we will see. Even if we don’t need to specify one of the two. Warning: we are only talking about men because the reference and comparison are with the national football team that has just been eliminated. At first sight, being at all the World Cups might seem like a curious sporting conjunction and nothing more, but that’s not the case. If you look at the international panorama it is clear: there are some eventualities that we will not see in a reasonable future. Not England at the volleyball World Cup, nor Germany or Sweden at the rugby ones, nor Japan, France or Brazil at the cricket ones, Cuba at the ice hockey ones, nor Switzerland at the baseball ones. The Italian men’s team was at the last edition of the World Cup of everything: basketball, volleyball, rugby, baseball, water polo and rink hockey. He then achieved epochal feats in their own way, qualifying for the handball championships and, for the first time, for the cricket championships. In May the Blue Team, i.e. the national ice hockey team, returns to the World Championships of the best (in Switzerland). And flag football, a new Olympic discipline, will also be at the Dusseldorf World Cup in August. And it is extraordinary in its own way how our expressions cross paths with very distant realities at various latitudes: Namibia in rugby and Nepal in cricket, Puerto Rico in baseball and Algeria in volleyball or Angola in rink hockey.

like the USA

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The only other country present at every World Cup that all our national teams have been to or are about to go to is the United States. Nobody else. Not even Australia which has an extraordinary multi-sport culture including team culture and in several cases enjoys favorable geographical criteria to qualify. The Aussies were not at the Volleyball World Cup in the Philippines, not at the handball World Cup and will not be at the ice hockey or rink hockey ones. In May at the Hockey World Cup in Switzerland he will not see Japan on the ice. Canada does not compete in the handball or rink hockey World Cups. Every country has some sport that is completely foreign to it. Everyone except us. That we will miss only one World Cup, the field hockey championship next August in Belgium and Holland. There won’t be us, there won’t be the United States. With the difference that the USA failed, losing all their matches, their qualifying tournament, a few days ago in Santiago de Chile. We weren’t even admitted to the regional tournament, our ranking didn’t allow us to. Unlike the women’s national team which also didn’t make it, in India it was the first of those excluded.

basketball

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At the last World Cup, in the Philippines, the Azzurri brilliantly qualified from the groups of the first two phases. Then, in the quarterfinals, they beat the United States. And they finished eighth. Now they are on track to go to Qatar 2027, and they are at the top of the group, ahead of Lithuania, followed by Iceland and Great Britain. World Champion: Germany

volleyball

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Let’s dance on the World. We are champions. In the Philippines we won the title for the fifth time, the second in a row. We will be in Poland in 2027, without needing to qualify: noblesse oblige. World Champion: Italy

rugby

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In 2023 in France we won our group matches with Namibia and Uruguay. Access to the second phase has thus far always remained precluded. But with those victories we have ensured participation in the next edition in Australia, in 2027. World Champion: South Africa

baseball

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The amazing fourth place at the World Baseball Classic between Houston and Miami took place two weeks ago. The sensational victory in the group defeating Brazil, Great Britain and then, sensationally, the United States and Mexico. We also overcame Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals, and then lost to future champion Venezuela in the semifinals. We are talking about a particular national team, made up almost exclusively of Italian-Americans: in any case, participation in the next WCB is already certain. World Champion: Venezuela

cricket

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As in baseball, it is an atypical national team, two thirds made up of naturalized people with Italian surnames from Australia, South Africa and England, and one third of children of immigrants to Italy from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We are talking about T20, the “short” version of cricket which is about to return to the Olympic program in Los Angeles 2028. Last May in Holland, Italy achieved a sensational and historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup by beating Scotland. At the World Cup in India in the group he achieved an equally epochal – and unforeseen – victory against Nepal. And he played almost on par with England (202-178). World Champion: India

water polo

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Last year in Singapore Settebello went out in the quarterfinals against Hungary. And right now he is in Naples, in view of the qualifying tournament, next week in Greece, in Alexandroupoli, with Spain, Croatia and the United States. The World Cup is from 20 to 26 July in Sydney (Australia). World Champion: Greece

handball

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In 2025 Italy returned to the World Cup after 27 years. With beautiful and convincing victories in the group over Algeria and Tunisia. And above all with a third success over the Czech Republic (25-18) in the second phase. Before losing to Germany, then vice-champion, and Switzerland. Thus finishing in 16th place. Participation, which is anything but a given, in the last European Championship also launches us directly into the last qualifying round for the 2027 World Cup in Germany. We will play against Switzerland: 13th May away to Zurich, 17th May return to Faenza. World Champion: Denmark

ice hockey

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With 3 wins, one defeat and another defeat in overtime, the Blue Team finished in second place at the 2025 World Group A in Romania. Earning a place for the World Championship of the Best, from 15 to 31 May in Switzerland, in Zurich and Fribourg. We are in a group with Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Slovakia and Slovenia. To be afraid. World Champion: United States

rink hockey

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Alessandro Bertolucci’s Italy is currently busy at the Nations Cup in Montreux, where yesterday they beat Angola 4-3. At the last World Cup, at home, in Novara, in 2024, the Azzurri went on the podium, winning the bronze final with Portugal 3-2. The 2026 World Cup is from October 11 to 18 in Asunción, Paraguay. The qualified European teams are Portugal, France, Italy, Spain and Andorra. World Champion: Spain

flag football

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In 2024 in Finland, despite the narrow defeat (33-34) against Canada, Italy won the group. But he ran into the United States in the quarterfinals: 21-46, finishing in sixth place. She is currently fourth in the international ranking, and therefore is at the World Championships in Dusseldorf, from 13 to 16 August. It will be in Group D, with France, Great Britain and Panama. World Champion: United States The other exception, in addition to field hockey, is football, for the third World Cup in a row.