Italian football has hit a historic low this season. No club from Italy advanced beyond the quarter‑finals in European competition, 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 recent woes.
For the first time in three consecutive World Cups, Italy failed to qualify. This is a shocking development for a nation that has lifted the trophy four times. The first two failures were softened by the euphoria of the Euro 2020 victory at Wembley, which offered a glimmer of hope. The third miss, however, proved to be the final straw.
The 48‑team World Cup left Italy out of the tournament entirely, prompting the resignations of head coach Gennaro Gattuso, Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina, and even veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who had been serving as the team’s delegation chief. "It’s a very sensitive issue for me because missing three World Cups in a row is painful, and Italy simply does not deserve this," captain Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports. "We have to work.
The only way forward is to work." He added that the arrival of Roberto Mancini – the manager who guided Italy to Euro glory five years ago – marks a turning point. "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 belongs," Donnarumma said.
"We know how much it means to us to play in a competition like the World Cup, so we will give everything to bring Italy back to its rightful place. History tells us that Italy should always be there; we must restore that legacy." Indeed, Italy belongs among the elite, but the team has been far from that level for a while. The recent World Cup disaster is just the latest chapter in a long‑term decline that began after the 2006 triumph.
Two decades later, the penalty‑shootout win over France remains Italy’s last appearance in a World Cup knockout round. Since then, the Azzurri have recorded only one World Cup victory – a 2‑1 win over England at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. The 2012 European Championship run, which saw Italy reach the final, was a bright spot, yet the nation has not recaptured that form.
Several factors explain the downturn. First, the pool of world‑class talent that produced the 2006 champions – players like Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero – has dwindled.
By 2012, the remaining stars were veterans such as Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo. Since the retirements of stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the next generation has struggled to fill the void.
Data from the CIES Football Observatory underscores the problem. Between 2020 and 2025 Italy exported just 413 footballers, ranking 24th globally and trailing nations like the United States, Japan and Russia. All four of Europe’s other major leagues produced over 1,000 exports in the same period, indicating that Italian players – whether young or seasoned – are less attractive to the continent’s top clubs. The scarcity of high‑quality home‑grown talent is also evident in the national squad.
From June 2025 to February 2026, only one capped player under the age of 24 – Inter’s forward Pio Esposito – featured for Italy, whereas England fielded a dozen youngsters in the same window. Moreover, in 2025 Italian clubs allocated a mere 1.9 percent of Serie A minutes to players under 21, the second‑lowest figure among the world’s top 50 leagues, surpassed only by the UAE Pro League. Serie A’s own decline contributed to the problem. While high‑profile veterans like Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy were signed, the league suffered from a lack of creative direction.
Managers such as Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri rotated among the big clubs with little tactical innovation. Even this summer, Sarri moved to Atalanta and Allegri to Juventus, underscoring the stagnation.
A few exceptions hint at a possible revival. Cesc Fàbregas’s work at Como, which propelled the club into the Champions League, demonstrates how fresh ideas from outside Italy can spark success. Similarly, Ruben Amorim’s stint at AC Milan produced attractive football and suggests that new tactical influences can rejuvenate the league. Mancini’s first squad selection after his return offers further optimism.
The 34‑player roster featured nine uncapped players and eleven under‑23s, including Dortmund’s 18‑year‑old striker Samuele Inacio, Crystal Palace defender Honest Ahanor (soon to join Chelsea), and Brentford’s Michael Kayode. Alongside Inacio, Inter’s promising forward Pio Esposito – who has scored five goals in nine caps – and FC Nürnberg’s prolific striker Ali Zoma (20 goals in 36 games in Germany’s second division) were called up.
Midfielder Issa Doumbia, a key figure at Sporting CP, also made the list. "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.
"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." Italy now faces a daunting Nations League group alongside Belgium, Turkey and France.
Yet a nation that has lingered in obscurity for too long needs just one spark to reignite its fortunes. Roberto Mancini’s second spell could provide that catalyst, blending seasoned leaders with a burgeoning crop of youthful talent.
For deeper analysis of Italy’s challenges and a preview of Mancini’s renewed mission, tune in to The World Football Show this Thursday at 2 pm on Sky Sports News.