Missed the World Cup
After qualifying: Italy’s national coach resigns
Updated April 3, 2026 – 2:52 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The “Squadra Azzurra” failed dramatically in the World Cup playoffs. Now the next key figure is gone: Gennaro Gattuso is leaving.
Gennaro Gattuso is no longer the coach Italian national team. The country’s football association announced this on Friday afternoon. The existing contract was terminated.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have not achieved our set goal that I consider my time as national coach to be over,” Gattuso was quoted as saying in the press release on the separation: “The Azzurri jersey is the most valuable asset in football, which is why it is right to set the course for future assessments right from the start.”
The 48-year-old, who was a player when Italy last won the title at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, drew the conclusions from the 4-1 defeat on penalties in the playoff duel with Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday evening. The country is missing a World Cup for the third time in a row. Both association president Gabriele Gravina and delegation leader Gianluigi Buffon announced their resignations on Thursday.
“It was an honor to have coached the national team. Many thanks to all Italians for their tireless support,” the FIGC quoted Gattuso as saying in the statement. The departure had been expected for days. There is already heavy speculation in Italy’s newspapers about his successor. The list ranges from former national coach Roberto Mancini to former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, who is currently under contract with Manchester City.
According to a statement, the successor at the top of the association will be decided on June 22nd – i.e. during the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
