What’s next? Italy’s earthquake forces Buffon to resign.

Gianluigi Buffon, director of the Italy national team, announced his resignation from his post, in the wake of the Azzurri’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The Italian national team lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in the final of the European playoff for World Cup qualification, meaning the Azzurri will miss the tournament for the third consecutive time—an unprecedented occurrence in history.

This setback represents another blow added to a series of previous failures, after missing the 2018 World Cup against Sweden and the 2022 World Cup against North Macedonia, which has sparked a major crisis within Italian football.

This failure has led to the start of a comprehensive restructuring process within Italian football, as the president of the Italian Football Federation, Gabriele Gravina, resigned, and the latest to decide to step down was the legendary Gianluigi Buffon—raising doubts about whether coach Gennaro Gattuso will also remain.

Buffon’s message

Buffon said in his statement: “Submitting my resignation just one minute after the end of the Bosnia match was an impulsive act, arising from the depths of my feelings—just like the tears and the pain I feel in my heart, a pain I know you share with me.”

The legendary goalkeeper added: “I was asked to wait so that everyone could assess things calmly. And now, after President Gabriele Gravina has decided to step down, I feel free to do what I consider a responsible course of action.”

He continued: “Although I believe we achieved a lot in terms of team spirit with Gennaro Gattuso and his coaching staff, the primary objective was to take Italy back to the World Cup… and we did not succeed in that.”

Buffon went on: “It is only fair that I leave the officials the freedom to choose the most suitable person for this role. Representing the national team is a great honor for me, and a passion that has accompanied me since childhood.”

He added: “I tried to perform my role with all my energy, and I considered every aspect of the work a link for dialogue and integration between the various age groups, and I worked with the coaches to build a project that starts from the youth levels all the way to the senior national team.”

Buffon continued: “The goal was to rethink how young talents are developed, and I worked to bring in highly experienced figures to support this project with a medium- and long-term vision.”

He concluded: “I believe in competence and specialization, and in the end, the judgment on the results of these decisions will be in the hands of those in charge. I will keep this experience in my heart, with all its gratitude and lessons, even if its ending is painful... Forza Azzurri… always.”

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