Italian football has hit a historic low this season. Across Europe, no Italian club advanced beyond the quarter‑final stage, and the only Serie A side to make the Champions League round of 16 was Atalanta. Yet the domestic struggles pale in comparison with the national team’s woes.
For the first time since 2018, Italy failed to secure a place at the World Cup, missing out on a third consecutive tournament. The disappointment is stark for a country that has lifted the trophy four times.
The previous two failures were softened by the euphoria of winning Euro 2020 at Wembley, a triumph that offered a brief resurgence of hope. This latest omission, however, proved to be the final straw.
The 48‑team World Cup did not feature Italy, prompting a cascade of resignations: head coach Gennaro Gattuso stepped down, as did Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina, and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon relinquished his role as head of delegation. "It’s a painful issue for me because missing three World Cups in a row is unacceptable, and Italy certainly deserves better," Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports. In response, the Azzurri have turned to a familiar face.
Roberto Mancini, the architect of the 2020 European Championship victory, has been reinstated as head coach. "We must work. The only way forward is through hard work," Donnarumma added. "With a new coach and Mancini’s return, our goal is to rebuild and bring Italy back to the stature it deserves." He continued, "I know it’s difficult for the supporters, but especially for us players, because we understand how much it means to compete in a tournament like the World Cup.
We will give everything to restore Italy to its rightful place. History teaches us that Italy belongs among the elite, and we have a responsibility to make that happen." Indeed, Italy’s place at the top of world football is a long‑standing expectation, but the reality has been far from that ideal for several years. The recent World Cup failure is just the latest chapter in a gradual decline that began after the nation’s 2006 triumph. Two decades later, the dramatic penalty shoot‑out victory over France remains Italy’s last appearance in a World Cup knockout round.
Since then, the Azzurri have recorded only a single World Cup win – a 2‑1 victory over England in Brazil 2014. The 2012 European Championship run, which saw Italy reach the final, was a bright spot, yet the team has never fully recaptured that form. Multiple factors explain the downturn.
The golden generation that won the 2006 World Cup featured legends such as Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero. By 2012, that core was still present through Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo. However, the retirements of stalwarts like Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have left a talent vacuum that the younger ranks have struggled to fill. Data from the CIES Football Observatory underscores the issue: between 2020 and 2025 Italy produced just 413 exported players, ranking 24th globally—behind nations such as the United States, Japan and Russia.
By contrast, each of the other four major European leagues exported well over 1,000 players in the same period. Italian talent, whether seasoned or emerging, is simply less coveted by the continent’s elite clubs. The scarcity of high‑quality home‑grown players is evident in the national squad. From June 2025 to February 2026, only one capped player under the age of 24 – Inter’s promising forward Pio Esposito – featured for Italy, whereas England fielded a dozen youngsters in that window.
Moreover, in 2025 Italy allocated merely 1.9% of Serie A minutes to players under 21, the second‑lowest figure among the top 50 leagues worldwide, surpassed only by the United Arab Emirates Pro League. Serie A’s own decline mirrors the national team’s struggles. The league’s marquee signings have been aging stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy, rather than nurturing fresh creative talent.
Coaching turnover has also contributed to stagnation; figures like Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri have rotated among the top clubs with little strategic innovation. Even this summer saw Sarri move to Atalanta and Allegri to Juventus, underscoring the lack of fresh tactical direction. Occasional breakthroughs hint at a possible shift.
Cesc Fàbregas’s work at Como, which propelled the club into the Champions League, demonstrates how external ideas can rejuvenate Italian football. Similarly, Ruben Amorim’s stint at AC Milan produced an attractive brand of play that captured attention.
Mancini’s first squad selection after his return offers further optimism. The 34‑man roster featured nine uncapped players and eleven under‑23 athletes. Among them are Borussia Dortmund’s 18‑year‑old striker Samuele Inácio, Chelsea‑bound defender Honest Ahanor (currently at Crystal Palace), and Brentford’s Michael Kayode – all part of a budding "young revolution." Inter’s forward Pio Esposito, who has netted five times in nine appearances, joins the mix alongside FC Nürnberg’s Ali Zoma, a prolific scorer with 20 goals in 36 games in Germany’s second tier, and Sporting CP midfielder Issa Doumbia, who has been pivotal this season. "There will certainly be some established players.
We’re getting older, but we’re still young, and there will also be very young players joining the team," Donnarumma explained. "It will be a blend, and we need to help these youngsters integrate well. They can provide us with a great deal of assistance. They’re talented and need experience, but I’m confident Italy will return to where it belongs." Italy now faces a challenging Nations League group, sharing Group A with Belgium, Turkey and France – a test that will gauge the effectiveness of Mancini’s renewed project.
After years of obscurity, the Azzurri need just one spark to reignite their legacy. For deeper analysis of Italy’s current predicament and a preview of Roberto Mancini’s second tenure, tune in to The World Football Show this Thursday at 2 p.m. on Sky Sports News.