Italy wants to avoid a national tragedy

Barcelona2018, 2022, and now it could be 2026. Italy is on the verge of either suffering a historic disaster or breaking a losing streak that has plagued them for eight years. The national team azzurra The national football team has the mission of qualifying for a World Cup after missing the last two editions. Failing to attend another World Cup would be an unprecedented tragedy in the history of a four-time champion. Their first final will be this Thursday (8:45 p.m.) against Northern Ireland, a team that hasn't participated in a World Cup since 1986. This will be one of the single-leg playoff semifinals. Even if they beat Northern Ireland, they won't yet secure their ticket to the United States. They will first have to defeat the winner of the match between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Tuesday, March 31, 8:45 p.m.). After winning these two matches, they will qualify for this World Cup.

This is the third time they've found themselves in a precarious position. In 2018, they failed to qualify as group winners and had to play a two-legged playoff against Sweden to determine who would go to the World Cup. In Solna, the Swedes won 1-0 with a goal from Johansson, while the return leg in Milan ended in a goalless draw, thus eliminating Italy from the competition. In 2022, the situation was similar. Only the group winner earned direct qualification, and Italy again finished second. This meant they had to play two playoff matches. Despite being the favorites, they suffered a shock defeat in the first of the two games against North Macedonia. The match was 0-0 in the 92nd minute when North Macedonian Aleksandar Trajkovski scored the goal that sealed the elimination of the team then coached by Roberto Mancini. Now, in 2026, the ghosts of the past are haunting them once more. They finished second in their group again despite winning all but two matches, both against Norway, the team that finished first by winning all their games. Now they have two matches to go before they can make history or suffer a humiliating defeat.

They entrust themselves to an old acquaintance

To achieve that qualification, the Italian Federation placed its trust in Gennaro Gattuso. The former Calabrian player replaced Luciano Spalletti, who was dismissed in June for failing to meet expectations, in a desperate move to qualify for a World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that will surely go down in history, for better or for worse. Gattuso was known for being more passionate than tactical as a player, and that's exactly how he is on the sidelines. Although his coaching career is short, he raises serious doubts about his ability to achieve good results. "We must stay united and positive: that will help us. In such important matches, mentality is crucial to moving forward. In recent months I've spoken more with Gattuso than with my own mother... during the period when I was away and playing less (at Arsenal), he called me constantly," said defender Riccardo Calaori. To secure qualification, Gattuso opted to play the match against Northern Ireland at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo instead of the iconic San Siro, where Italy plays most of its matches. "I chose the stadium. And the FIGC supported me. At San Siro, for example, there are Inter and Milan fans, and if you make a mistake, they'll boo you," he acknowledged.