Italy out of World Cup 2026: Why Azzurri missing third straight FIFA tournament is generational failure

Italy out of World Cup 2026: Why Azzurri missing third straight FIFA tournament is generational failure originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . In 2018, it seemed a monumental disaster that Italy had missed the World Cup in Russia, failing to qualify for the tournament just 12 years after securing the nation's fourth FIFA title.

Now, in 2026, that nightmare has continued, as the Azzurri fell short of qualification to their third-straight World Cup. These kind of depths were previously an unthinkable occurrance for Italian football, but has become the reality as they fell on penalties to Bosnia & Herzegovina in their UEFA World Cup playoff final after a 1-1 draw . The Sporting News discusses how this happened, what went wrong for Italy, and what the reprecussions will be of such a monumental disaster that borderlines on a disgrace.

MORE: Italy's timeline of missed World Cups over the last 12 years How did Italy miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Italy finished second in their UEFA World Cup qualifying group, winning all their matches except for a pair of defeats to eventual Group I winners Norway. That left them in the playoff round, where they were drawn against Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The Azzurri won the semifinal against Northern Ireland 2-0 on goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean. However, they were beaten in a penalty shootout in the final against Bosnia & Herzegovina following a 1-1 draw. Thus, it was 66th-ranked Bosnia & Herzegovina that reached the World Cup, a qualification that came at Italy’s expense.