Italian football has hit a historic low point this season. Across Europe, no club from Italy managed to progress beyond the quarterfinal stage, and only Atalanta managed to reach the round of sixteen in the Champions League.
The domestic disappointment pales in comparison with the national team's recent collapse. For the first time since 2018, Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup, marking a third consecutive miss—a shocking outcome for a nation that has lifted the trophy four times. The first two failures were softened by the euphoria of winning Euro 2020 on home soil, a triumph that briefly restored faith among supporters. The latest setback, however, proved too much.
The 48‑team World Cup did not feature Italy, prompting the resignation of head coach Gennaro Gattuso, the stepping down of Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina, and even the withdrawal of legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from 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 simply does not deserve this," Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports. "We have to work. The only way forward is to work," he added, noting the arrival of former Euro‑2020 champion Roberto Mancini at the helm once more.
Mancini's return brings a clear message: the Azzurri must rebuild from the ground up and reclaim their place among football's elite. Donnarumma emphasized the weight of history, explaining that the team feels a profound responsibility to bring Italy back to the world stage.
"We know how much it means to our fans and to us to compete in a World Cup. We will give everything to restore Italy to its rightful position," he said. The reality, however, is that Italy has been drifting far from the top of the game for several years. The last time the Azzurri reached a World Cup knockout round was the dramatic penalty‑shootout victory over France in 2006.
Since then, they have recorded only a single World Cup win—a 2‑1 triumph against England in Brazil 2014. While the 2012 European Championship run, which saw Italy finish as runners‑up, offered a glimpse of former glory, the subsequent years have been marked by decline. A key factor behind the downturn is the erosion of world‑class talent. The 2006 squad featured icons such as Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero.
By 2012, veterans like Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo carried the mantle, but the retirement of stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci has left a void that the younger generation has yet to fill. Data from the CIES Football Observatory underscores the issue: between 2020 and 2025 Italy exported only 413 players, ranking 24th globally—behind the United States, Japan and Russia. All other major European leagues produced over a thousand exports in the same period, indicating that Italian players, whether seasoned or emerging, are less sought after by the continent's top clubs. The talent shortage is also evident in the national team selection.
From June 2025 to February 2026, just one capped player under the age of 24—Inter’s promising forward Pio Esposito—featured for Italy, whereas England fielded a dozen youngsters in the same window. Moreover, in 2025 only 1.9% of Serie A minutes were played by players under 21, the second‑lowest figure among the world’s top fifty leagues, surpassed only by the UAE Pro League. Serie A itself has struggled to nurture youthful prospects.
The league’s marquee signings have often been aging stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy, and managerial creativity has been limited. Coaches like Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri have rotated among the big clubs, offering little tactical innovation.
Even this summer saw Sarri move to Atalanta and Allegri to Juventus, reinforcing the status‑quo. Occasionally, fresh ideas break through.
Cesc Fàbregas’s appointment at Como sparked a remarkable rise that culminated in Champions League qualification, while Ruben Amorim’s stint at AC Milan produced an exciting brand of football. These examples illustrate the potential impact of external concepts on Italian clubs. There are signs that a new era may be emerging for the national side. Mancini’s first squad featured several encouraging selections: a 34‑player roster with nine uncapped individuals and eleven players under 23.
Among them are 18‑year‑old Borussia Dortmund striker Samuele Inácio, Chelsea‑bound defender Honest Ahanor (currently at Crystal Palace), and Brentford’s Michael Kayode, all part of a budding "young revolution." In addition to Inácio and the highly‑rated Inter forward Pio Esposito—who has netted five goals in nine caps—there is FC Nürnberg’s Ali Zoma, who boasts 20 goals in 36 games in Germany’s second division, and Sporting CP midfielder Issa Doumbia, who has impressed this season. These players represent a new generation of Italian talent ready to make their mark. "There will certainly be some established players. We're getting older, but we're still young, and there will also be some very young players joining the team," Donnarumma explained.
"It will be a mix, and we need to help these youngsters integrate well. They can give us a great deal of help.
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 alongside Belgium, Turkey and France in Group A, a test that will gauge whether the rejuvenated squad can compete with Europe's elite. After years of darkness, the Azzurri need only a single spark to reignite their fortunes. For deeper analysis of Italy's current crisis and a preview of Mancini’s second spell, tune in to The World Football Show this Thursday at 2 p.m. on Sky Sports News.