Italian football has hit a historic low point this year. Across Europe, no Italian club managed to progress beyond the quarter‑final stage, and Atalanta was the sole Serie A representative to reach the Champions League round of 16. Yet the domestic league’s 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, marking the third consecutive missed tournament—a shocking outcome for a nation that has lifted the trophy four times.
The previous two qualification failures were softened by the euphoria of the Euro 2020 triumph at Wembley, which offered a glimmer of hope. This latest setback proved too much. The 48‑team World Cup did not feature Italy, prompting the resignations of head coach Gennaro Gattuso, Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina, and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who had been serving as the team’s delegation chief. "It’s a painful subject for me," Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports.
"Missing three World Cups in a row is harsh, and Italy doesn’t deserve this." In response, the Azzurri have turned back the clock. Roberto Mancini, the architect of the 2020 European Championship victory, has been reinstated as head coach. "We have to work.
The only way forward is work," Donnarumma added. "With a new coach and the return of Mr.
Mancini, our aim is to rebuild and bring Italy back to the stature it deserves." He continued, "I know it’s difficult for the fans, but especially for us players, because we understand how much it means to compete in a World Cup. We will give everything to restore Italy to its rightful place. History has taught us that Italy should always be there, so we must bring the team back where it belongs." Indeed, Italy belongs among the elite, but the gap between expectation and reality has widened over the past decade.
The latest World Cup disaster is just the latest chapter in a long 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 a single World Cup victory—a 2‑1 win against England in Brazil 2014. The 2012 European Championship run, which saw Italy reach the final, was a bright spot, but the nation has struggled to recapture that form.
Several factors explain the downturn. First, Italy has failed to produce the world‑class talent that once defined its squads. The 2006 champions featured icons such as Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero. By 2012, that generation was still represented by Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo.
Since the retirements of stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the pipeline of top‑level Italian players has thinned. Data from the CIES Football Observatory shows that between 2020 and 2025 Italy exported only 413 players abroad, ranking 24th globally—behind the United States, Japan and Russia. The other four nations in Europe’s "big five" leagues each exported 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 team as well. 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 that window. Moreover, in 2025 Italy 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 itself suffered from a lack of youthful dynamism. High‑profile signings such as Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy highlighted a reliance on veteran imports rather than nurturing domestic prospects.
Coaching turnover added to the stagnation; figures like Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri have rotated among the top clubs with little variation in philosophy. Even this summer, Sarri moved to Atalanta while Allegri took over Juventus, underscoring the cyclical nature of Italian management.
Occasional breakthroughs demonstrate what fresh ideas can achieve. Cesc Fàbregas’s tenure at Como sparked a remarkable Champions League qualification, while Ruben Amorim’s influence at AC Milan produced eye‑catching performances. These examples suggest that innovative tactics from outside the traditional Italian system can revitalize the league. Encouraging signs are emerging under Mancini’s renewed leadership.
His first squad 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, all part of a budding "young revolution." Inter’s forward Pio Esposito, already mentioned, boasts five goals in nine caps, while FC Nürnberg’s Ali Zoma has netted 20 times in 36 appearances in Germany’s second division. Midfielder Issa Doumbia, a key figure at Sporting CP, also adds depth. These players signal a new generation of Italian talent ready to make an impact.
"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 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 A, sharing the stage with Belgium, Turkey and France. Yet a nation that has lingered in obscurity for so long needs just one spark to reignite its fortunes. For a deeper dive into Italy’s current challenges and a preview of Mancini’s second spell, tune into The World Football Show this Thursday at 2 p.m.
on Sky Sports News.