Two months ago, Bosnia & Herzegovina qualified for their second World Cup by taking down Italy on penalties. The win for Bosnia & Herzegovina meant that Italy would miss its third World Cup in a row. According to Yahoo Sports, this marked a first in world soccer as it was the first time a World Cup-winning nation missed 3 successive tournaments. Italy’s downfall is marked by 14 straight qualifications from 1962-2014 and then an abrupt 3 time drought.
Italy has traditionally been a European and World powerhouse, winning 2 European Championships in 1968 and 2020 and 2 second-place finishes. They have performed even better on the international stage, winning 4 World Cup titles in 1934, ‘38, ‘82,and 2006. Their four titles put them in joint second place all time, alongside Germany, and one behind Brazil. A strong soccer culture, and one that expects results from its best players, has made this stretch of underperformance even more shocking.
The fall off started before the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In November 2017, Sweden defeated Italy 1-0 on aggregate in a playoff, after Italy failed to win their group, coming behind Spain in Group G. This eliminated Italy from World Cup contention for the first time since 1958. According to Fox Sports, the loss was largely attributed to the questionable tactics employed by the unpopular manager, Gian Piero Ventura. Shortly after the failure to reach the tournament, Ventura was dismissed, as the Italian Federation set its sights on Qatar 2022.
It seemed as if this was just a one time blunder as Italy won the 2020 Euros. The Italians beat England 3-2 on penalties after tying the game from 1-0 down, thanks to Leonardo Bonucci. This win reassured Italy and the world that it was just a fluke and that they would soon be back on the world’s biggest stage. Yet again, however, Italy failed to win its group and was matched up against North Macedonia in a playoff. Italy was heavily favored, especially behind their renewed confidence and belief. According to Fox Sports, the Italians put up 32 shots to North Macedonia’s 4. In the 92nd minute of the match, North Macedonia did what Italy couldn’t, put the ball in the back of the net, as Aleksandar Trajkovski became the ultimate hero. Once again, the Italian giants would miss out on international glory.
For the first time since 2014, Italy faced a straightforward scenario, win their decisive match against Bosnia & Herzegovina to qualify. Italy took an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Moise Kean. However, in the 41st minute, center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off for a tackle. Playing with 10 men from the 41st minute onward, Italy conceded the equalizer in the 79th minute. The match remained tied through the end of regulation and extra time. Ultimately, Italy lost 4-1 on penalties, missing out on a third consecutive World Cup.
It’s impossible to determine one reason for the downfall, but there are a few key aspects that could show why Italy is no longer as strong. First are the issues with player development. According to Business Day, former Italy international Massimo Oddo, who is a youth coach in Italy, said that youth coaches in Italy are pressured to win, so they play only their strongest players rather than focusing on developing all players and focusing on potential. In contrast, nations like Norway don’t keep score of games up until the age of 13, to focus on development over results, and to keep the game fun. As Goal.com points out, the results of this are clear, as Norway beat Italy during 2026 qualifying. This development issue continues to the senior level as well. The domestic league, Serie A, ranks 49th out of 50 leagues worldwide for playing time for under-21 players, with just 1.9% getting in, according to Yahoo Sports. Spanish players from the 2023 U19 European Championship accumulated almost double the minutes domestically as the Italians. Another reason is that in recent years, tennis has been gaining following in Italy, and has been rivaling the popularity of soccer, with 19.9 million followers of tennis and 21.6 million following soccer, as reported by NBC New York in 2025.
Italy can now only look to the future and rebuild its federation. After the devastating loss to Bosnia & Herzegovina, manager Gennaro Gattuso resigned along with the Italian federations president Gabriele Gravina and general manager, and longtime Italian keeper, Gianluigi Buffon. Something needs to change inside the FA for Italy and it will not be an easy or quick fix. The question is, can Italy get out of this downward spiral in time for the next World Cup and be in the conversation when they co-host the Euros in 2032?