Now we know why Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup... A disastrous request to the players ahead of the Bosnia match!

Italian football is going through one of its darkest periods following the national team’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties (1–1, 4–1), meaning Italy will miss out on the World Cup for the third consecutive time after the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

The defeat sparked a crisis within the Italian Football Federation, with its president, Gabriele Gravina, announcing his resignation, followed by general manager Gianluigi Buffon, and then Gattuso himself.

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A new president is due to be elected on 22 June, paving the way for the appointment of a new manager and the start of a comprehensive rebuilding phase.

The Italian Football Federation faces significant challenges, most notably addressing the structural imbalances that hinder the development of the game, and preparing to co-host the Euro 2032 tournament with Turkey.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has issued a clear warning, stressing that the tournament will not take place in Italy unless the infrastructure is completed on time.

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The Italian newspaper La Repubblica revealed some intriguing details ahead of the play-off match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a number of national team players enquired about the financial bonuses set for qualification, estimated at around €300,000 to be distributed among 28 players. This caused discontent among the coaching staff and prompted manager Gennaro Gattuso to intervene, deeming the timing inappropriate ahead of a decisive match.

With this failure, Italian football enters a critical phase requiring profound reform to restore the Azzurri’s historic standing and lost prestige on the world stage.

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