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 reach the Champions League round of 16.
Yet the domestic league’s modest showing pales in comparison with the national team’s recent woes. For the first time since the post‑war era, Italy failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups. The Azzurri, four‑time world champions, missed out on the 2026 tournament—a shock that reverberated through every corner of the country. The first two qualification failures had been softened by a Euro 2020 triumph on home soil, a victory that briefly revived national optimism.
The third miss, however, proved to be the final straw. The fallout was swift and dramatic. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso stepped down, Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina resigned, and legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon relinquished his role as team delegate. In an interview with Sky Sports, captain Gianluigi Donnarumma summed up the collective sentiment: "It’s a painful subject because missing three World Cups in a row is unacceptable, and Italy simply does not deserve this outcome." In response to the crisis, the federation turned back to a familiar face: Roberto Mancini, the architect of the 2020 European Championship win, has been re‑appointed as head coach.
Donnarumma echoed the new direction, stating, "We have to work. The only way forward is to work. With Mancini back at the helm, our goal is to rebuild and bring Italy back to the place it rightfully belongs." Mancini’s return is more than a nostalgic gesture; it signals a commitment to a long‑term rebuilding process.
The Azzurri have not reached a World Cup knockout stage since their dramatic penalty shoot‑out victory over France in 2006, and they have recorded only a single World Cup win in the intervening years—a 2‑1 triumph over England in Brazil 2014. While the 2012 European Championship run, which saw Italy finish as runners‑up, offered a glimpse of potential, the team has struggled to maintain that level of performance. Several factors explain the decline.
The golden generation that lifted the 2006 trophy featured world‑class talents such as Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Alessandro Del Piero. Six years later, the same core—Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo—still carried the side. Since the retirements of stalwarts like Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, Italy has failed to produce a comparable successor cohort.
Data from the CIES Football Observatory underscores the talent shortage. Between 2020 and 2025, Italy exported only 413 players abroad, ranking 24th worldwide—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.
This scarcity of marketable Italian talent extends to the national team itself: from June 2025 to February 2026, just one capped player under the age of 24—Inter’s forward Pio Esposito—took the field, whereas England fielded a dozen youngsters. The domestic league reflects the same trend.
In 2025, only 1.9 % of Serie A minutes were played by players under 21, the second‑lowest figure among the top 50 leagues globally, surpassed only by the United Arab Emirates Pro League. Serie A clubs have increasingly relied on veteran imports such as Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy, rather than nurturing home‑grown prospects. Coaching turnover has also been high, with familiar names—Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri, Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri—circulating among the top clubs without introducing fresh tactical philosophies.
Nonetheless, there are encouraging signs that the status quo may be shifting. The recent appointment of Cesc Fàbregas at Como, which helped the club secure a Champions League berth, illustrates how innovative ideas from outside Italy can revitalize the league. Similarly, Ruben Amorim’s stint at AC Milan produced an attractive brand of football that delighted fans and pundits alike.
Mancini’s first squad selection for his renewed tenure also hints at a generational turnover. The 34‑player roster featured nine uncapped athletes and eleven players under 23.
Among them are Borussia Dortmund’s 18‑year‑old striker Samuele Inácio, Crystal Palace‑bound defender Honest Ahanor, and Brentford’s promising forward Michael Kayode. Inter’s young forward Pio Esposito, who has already netted five goals in nine appearances, joins the mix, as does FC Nürnberg’s prolific Ali Zoma, who boasts 20 goals in 36 matches in Germany’s second division.
Midfielder Issa Doumbia, a key figure at Sporting CP, rounds out the youthful contingent. Donnarumma captured the spirit of this transition: "There will be established players, we’re getting older but we’re still young, and there will also be very young players joining the team. 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 and need experience, but I’m confident Italy will return to where it belongs." The upcoming Nations League campaign will test the new blend of experience and youth.
Italy finds itself in a challenging Group A alongside Belgium, Turkey and France—an arena that will demand tactical flexibility and mental resilience. Yet, after years of darkness, the Azzurri may only need a single spark to reignite their historic flame.
For fans eager to follow the analysis, Sky Sports News will host "The World Football Show" this Thursday at 2 p.m., offering deeper insight into Italy’s recent struggles and a preview of Roberto Mancini’s second spell in charge. The program promises to dissect the tactical adjustments, player selections, and cultural shifts that could define the next chapter of Italian football, and perhaps, finally, restore the Azzurri to their rightful place among the sport’s elite.