Italian football has hit a historic low point this season. Across Europe, no Italian club progressed beyond the quarter‑final stage, and the only Serie A side to make it into the Champions League round of 16 was Atalanta. Yet the domestic disappointment pales in comparison with the national team’s woes.
For the first time in modern history, Italy failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups. The nation, which has lifted the trophy four times, now finds itself excluded from the expanded 48‑team tournament. The previous two qualification failures were softened by the euphoria of winning Euro 2020 at Wembley, a triumph that offered a brief glimmer of hope.
This third miss, however, proved to be the final straw. The fallout was swift and dramatic.
Head coach Gennaro Gattuso resigned, followed by the departure of Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who had been serving as the team’s delegation chief. Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma spoke to Sky Sports, describing the situation as "a sensitive subject that affects me a lot, because not qualifying for three World Cups in a row is tough, and Italy certainly doesn't deserve that." In a surprising twist, the Azzurri have turned back the clock and reinstated Roberto Mancini, the manager who guided Italy to Euro glory five years ago.
Donnarumma echoed the sentiment of renewal, saying, "We have to work. The only way forward is to work.
There has now been a change of coach, the return of Mr. Mancini – and the objective is to work and try to take Italy back to where it deserves to be." He added, "I know it's not easy for the fans, but especially for us, because only we know how much it means to us to play in a competition like the World Cup.
So we'll give everything to bring Italy back to where it deserves to be. We have a great responsibility because history says that Italy should always be there. History has taught us that.
So we have to bring Italy back to where it belongs." Indeed, Italy belongs among the elite, but the team has been far from that level for several years. The recent World Cup debacle is merely the latest chapter in a long decline that began after the 2006 triumph. Two decades later, the penalty‑shootout victory over France remains Italy's last appearance in a World Cup knockout round, and the Azzurri have recorded only one World Cup win since – a 2‑1 triumph over England in Brazil 2014.
The 2012 European Championship run, which saw Italy reach the final, was a bright spot, yet the nation has struggled to sustain that momentum. A key factor is the erosion of world‑class talent that once defined Italian football.
The 2006 squad featured icons such as Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero. By 2012, the remnants of that golden generation were still present in the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo. Since the retirements of stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the pipeline of elite Italian players has thinned dramatically. Data from the CIES Football Observatory underscores this trend.
Between 2020 and 2025, Italy produced just 413 football exports, ranking 24th worldwide – behind nations such as the United States, Japan and Russia. The other four major European leagues each exported over 1,000 players in the same period, highlighting how Italian talent is no longer in high demand among Europe’s top clubs. The scarcity of youthful quality is also evident in the national team selections. 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 the same window.
Moreover, in 2025 Italy allocated a mere 1.9 percent of Serie A playing minutes to players under 21, the second‑lowest figure among the world’s top 50 leagues, surpassed only by the United Arab Emirates Pro League. Serie A’s own struggles reflect this broader issue.
High‑profile signings such as Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy arrived, yet the league suffered from a lack of creativity and tactical innovation. Coaches like Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri have rotated among the top clubs, often delivering similar styles without fresh ideas.
This summer, Sarri moved to Atalanta and Allegri to Juventus, illustrating the limited movement of novel concepts. Occasionally, external influences have sparked change.
Cesc Fàbregas’s appointment at Como led to a remarkable Champions League qualification, demonstrating how fresh tactical perspectives can revitalize Italian football. Likewise, Ruben Amorim’s stint at AC Milan produced eye‑catching performances, suggesting that openness to new ideas could be a catalyst for resurgence. There are encouraging signs that a generational shift may be underway.
Mancini’s first squad selection featured several promising newcomers: a 34‑player roster with nine uncapped athletes and eleven players under 23. Among them are 18‑year‑old Borussia Dortmund striker Samuele Inácio, Crystal Palace defender Honest Ahanor (soon to join Chelsea), and Brentford’s Michael Kayode – part of a budding "young revolution." Inter’s rising star Pio Esposito, who boasts five goals in nine caps, joins the mix alongside FC Nürnberg’s Ali Zoma, a prolific scorer with 20 goals in 36 matches in Germany’s second division, and Sporting CP midfielder Issa Doumbia, who has been pivotal this season. This infusion of youth suggests a new wave of Italian talent ready to make an impact.
Donnarumma summed up the optimism, stating, "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. So it will be a mixture, and we need to help these young players integrate well.
They can give us a great deal of help. They're certainly talented players who need to play and gain experience, but I'm sure Italy will return to where it belongs." The upcoming Nations League campaign will test this renewed squad. Italy finds itself in a challenging Group A alongside Belgium, Turkey and France – a test of both experience and youthful vigor.
For a nation that has lingered in the shadows for too long, a single spark could reignite its storied legacy. Fans can follow the ongoing analysis and preview of Mancini’s second tenure on The World Football Show, airing Thursday at 2 pm on Sky Sports News, where experts will dissect Italy’s recent struggles and outline the path forward for the Azzurri.