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WC play-offs are Azzurri's last chance to avoid oblivion
Daniele Fisichella - 9th January 2026
July 9, 2006. The captain of the Italian national team, Fabio Cannavaro, is about to receive and lift the World Cup into the Berlin sky.
Italy won a final that was less than spectacular, at times dirty, even nasty. Millions of Italians celebrated until dawn, marking the country's fourth World Cup win.
The 'Notti Magiche' (Magical Nights) evoked and sung about 16 years earlier during the World Cup hosted by Italy unexpectedly unfolded in Germany. No one could foresee the Azzurri’s fate after that day.
To date, Italy vs France remains the last knockout match played by the national team in a World Cup.
If Italy will be at the next World Cup, kicking off their tournament in Toronto's BMO Field against Canada, 7,228 days will have passed since their last do-or-die match in the most important football competition.
In between, there were two group-stage eliminations, in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014—matches Italians once considered mere formalities. The real excitement, it was said, began in the Round of 16.
The last time the Azzurri played in a World Cup was on June 24, 2014, in Natal, Brazil. A 1-0 defeat to Uruguay sent them home earlier. It seems like a lifetime ago.
Today, the Italian national team, soundly beaten 3-0 and 4-1 by Norway in World Cup qualifiers, is forced for the third consecutive time to compete in playoff matches to qualify for the global tournament.
Ranked twelfth in FIFA’s standings—their lowest position since 2020—the Azzurri are preparing for a nerve-racking March semifinal against Northern Ireland, followed by a daunting trip to either Cardiff or Zenica, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the decider.
A third elimination after those suffered against Sweden (2017) and North Macedonia (2022) would be nothing short of catastrophic for Italian football and beyond.
Amid the controversies surrounding the qualification system, seeing teams like Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Curacao among the qualified would surpass the worst nightmares of Italian fans.
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The recurring question remains, how and why have we fallen so far?
The reasons why Italian football is enduring one of its most problematic periods are varied and deeply rooted. Calcio has not adapted to changes impacting the sport, including tactical evolution, athletic preparation, and management.
Serie A is not on par with Europe's best, the Premier League, with its slower pace and lesser intensity compared to other major European leagues.
Italian teams playing in European cups, having reached five finals in the last three seasons, stay afloat thanks to some coaches’ preparation and the scouting work of astute sporting directors. Yet, the match-winners, especially for big clubs like Inter, Milan, and Juventus, are predominantly foreign. Italians often play supporting roles.
Unlike France, England, Portugal, and the two South American giants Argentina and Brazil, the national team lacks a world-renowned star to lean on in difficult times, with Gianluigi Donnarumma being the exception. Last season’s Serie A top goalscorer, the Argentina-born Mateo Retegui, now plays in Saudi Arabia
The pressure to secure results at all costs at the club level, driven by the need for financial survival, has placed undue emphasis on outcomes, at the expense of identifying and nurturing talent, once Italy's forte.
The victory in Berlin in 2006 wasn’t the start of an Italian renaissance but rather its culmination. A generation of champions like Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, and Alessandro Del Piero has not emerged since that day.
The extraordinary and unexpected victory at Euro 2021 merely masked a decline that was already quickly progressing.
Italy is an aging country, not just in football. Its stadiums, sports centers, are outdated. Investment in youth training remains scarce.
Could Lamine Yamal have emerged in Italy? Probably, but he would likely have been sent to Serie B or C to 'gain experience,' rather than play in the first team as a teenager, risking squandering his talent.
Yet, talent still exists in Italy. Just look at the results of the youth national teams, where the ‘Azzurrini’ are more competitive than their older compatriots.
Courage is needed. And coach Gennaro Gattuso will need it too, selecting the best and most ready players for the March playoffs.
Historically, Italian football has found strength to rise again when faced with insurmountable crises.
In the early 80s, Serie A was rocked by the scandal of illegal betting and 'Totonero.’ Enzo Bearzot's national team won Spain's 1982 World Cup, thanks to Paolo Rossi, who had been banned for two years due to those investigations.
In 2006, ‘Calciopoli,’ the inquiry into match-fixing and the manipulation of referee assignments, implicated teams like Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina.
Yet, amid rejection and disenchantment towards the Azzurri, Marcello Lippi’s national team united and triumphed, against the odds, in Germany.
In 2026, Gattuso is not asked for something as epic, but still dramatically complex: to win two matches and bring us back to the World Cup.
Twelve years since the last time, nothing is assured, and should they fail, footballing oblivion truly lies just a step away.
Daniele is a sports journalist who regularly appears on talkSPORT and UEFA.com to provide insight on the latest developments in Italian football. He is also the expert guide on our tour - 'Bologna, Florence & the Azzurri' where we will dive into the Azzurri's illustrious history at the Museo del Calcio.