Italian football has hit a historic low point this season. Across Europe, no Italian club advanced beyond the quarter‑final stage, and only Atalanta managed to break into the Champions League round of 16.
Yet the domestic league’s struggles pale in comparison to the national team’s recent woes. For the first time in modern history, Italy failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups – an outcome that feels almost unimaginable for a nation that has lifted the trophy four times.
The first two qualification failures were softened by the euphoria of winning Euro 2020 on home soil, a triumph that at least gave fans a glimmer of hope. The third miss, however, proved to be the final straw.
The 48‑team World Cup, expanded to include more nations, left Italy on the outside, prompting a wave of resignations: head coach Gennaro Gattuso stepped down, Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina quit, and legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon relinquished his role as head of delegation. "It’s a very sensitive issue for me, because missing three World Cups in a row is painful, and Italy simply doesn’t deserve that," captain Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports. The sentiment echoed across the country, where disappointment turned into a call for radical change.
Enter Roberto Mancini, the architect of the 2020 European Championship victory. The Azzurri have reinstated him as head coach, hoping his experience and tactical acumen can steer the team back to its former glory.
"We have to work. The only way forward is to work," Donnarumma added. "With a new coach and the return of Mr. Mancini, our objective is to rebuild and bring Italy back to where it belongs.
I know it’s not easy for the fans, but especially for us, because we understand how much it means to compete in a World Cup. We will give everything to restore Italy’s rightful place.
History has taught us that we should always be there, so we must live up to that legacy." Italy’s place among the elite is undeniable, but the team has been far from that level for several years. The recent World Cup failure is just the latest chapter in a long‑running decline that began after the 2006 triumph. Two decades later, that dramatic 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, yet the momentum has not been sustained. Multiple factors explain the downturn. First, the pipeline of world‑class talent has dried up.
The 2006 squad featured legends such as Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero. By 2012, the same generation was still represented by stalwarts like Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo. Since the retirements of defensive pillars Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the next wave of Italian stars has struggled to emerge.
Data from the CIES Football Observatory underscores this talent gap. Between 2020 and 2025, Italy produced just 413 football exports, ranking 24th globally – behind nations such as the United States, Japan and Russia.
By contrast, the other four major European leagues each exported well over 1,000 players in the same period. Italian players, whether seasoned veterans or promising youngsters, are simply less coveted by the continent’s top clubs.
The scarcity of elite‑level players is reflected in the national team’s composition. From June 2025 to February 2026, only one capped player – Inter’s 21‑year‑old forward Pio Esposito – was under 24, whereas England fielded a dozen youngsters in that timeframe. Moreover, in 2025 Italy allocated a meagre 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 itself has suffered from a lack of fresh talent.
The league’s recent high‑profile signings have largely been aging stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy, rather than emerging Italian prospects. Coaching innovation has also been limited.
Prominent Italian managers – Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri – have rotated among the country’s top clubs with little tactical variation. Even this summer saw Sarri move to Atalanta and Allegri to Juventus, a reshuffling that did not introduce new ideas. Occasionally, fresh perspectives have sparked success. Cesc Fàbregas’s tenure at Como culminated in a Champions League berth, demonstrating how external tactical concepts can break the cycle of stagnation.
Similarly, Ruben Amorim’s influence at AC Milan has produced eye‑catching football, suggesting that openness to novel approaches could benefit the league and the national side. 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 Borussia Dortmund’s 18‑year‑old striker Samuele Inacio, Chelsea‑bound defender Honest Ahanor (currently at Crystal Palace), and Brentford’s Michael Kayode – a cohort often referred to as the “young revolution.” Inter’s rising forward Pio Esposito, who has already netted five goals in nine appearances for Italy, joins the mix, alongside FC Nürnberg’s Ali Zoma, a prolific scorer with 20 goals in 36 games in Germany’s second division, and Sporting CP’s 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 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, sharing Group A with Belgium, Turkey and France – a test that will reveal whether the new blend of experience and youth can compete at the highest level. After years of darkness, the Azzurri need just one spark to reignite their storied legacy. For a deeper analysis of Italy’s recent challenges and a preview of Roberto Mancini’s second tenure, tune in to The World Football Show this Thursday on Sky Sports News at 2 p.m.