Four-time world champion
That’s why Italy is missing from the 2026 World Cup
June 3, 2026 – 6:38 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Italy is one of the most successful football nations with four World Cup titles. The Europeans are still not taking part in the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada from June 11th to July 19th. In terms of the number of participants, it is the largest final tournament in history with 48 teams. However, Italy, one of the most important countries in tournament history, is missing.
The explanation for the four-time world champion’s abstinence is simple: there is neither a big conspiracy in world football nor trouble with FIFA behind it. Italy simply didn’t make it through World Cup qualification. The southern Europeans even had a double chance.
World Cup 2026: Three defeats cost Italy participation
In World Cup qualifying group I, first place would have guaranteed participation in the finals. However, the Italians lost both duels with Norway (0:3 and 1:4) and ended up in second place in the table. In doing so, they at least secured qualification for the continental playoff games. In the semi-finals, the four-time world champion initially beat Northern Ireland (2-0), but then failed in dramatic fashion against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Moise Kean gave Italy an early lead in the final duel for the World Cup ticket (15th minute), but a red card for Alessandro Bastoni (41st) brought the turning point. The Bosnians equalized in the final stages through Haris Tabaković and ultimately won on penalties (4-1).
Italy’s World Cup run has lasted for almost 20 years
“It’s a shame,” said coach Gennaro Gattuso after the final whistle. “I apologize today, I didn’t make it. A blow like that is hard to digest, it hurts. We wanted to make it for ourselves, for Italy, for the entire sport.” Missing the World Cup had consequences for him personally: the Italian association and the national coach agreed to terminate his contract a few days later.
The dry spell in Italian football continues. The southern Europeans celebrated the European Championship title in 2021, but hardly anything has happened on the big World Cup stage since they won the title in 2006. In 2010 and 2014 the Italians failed in the group phase, and in 2018, 2022 and 2026 they failed to even qualify for the World Cup finals.