BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso issues instructions to his player Francesco Pio Esposito during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by FIGC/FIGC via Getty Images)
FIGC via Getty Images
Barring a miracle, Italy will once again be in the qualifying playoffs for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada next summer.
The Azzurri, lagging behind Norway in Group I, routinely saw off the challenge of Israel in a mostly empty stadium in Udine on Tuesday evening.
A brace from former Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui and a late header from Gianluca Mancini sealed the three points, and knocking the away side out of qualifying in the process.
Retegui, in particular, was on splendid form. He won and then converted the penalty for the opener, and then produced a curler of a shot in the second half to double the advantage.
The win sees Italy guaranteed a playoff spot. There is hope that they can overtake Norway at the top of the table, but it’s nothing short of a miracle.
The Scandinavian side would need to drop points against Estonia — at home — and also lose to Italy in the final game in Milan, with Italy needing to overturn the 3-0 defeat they suffered at their hands at the beginning of the campaign, in order to top the table.
Even if Italy somehow beat Norway, they likely won’t do it by three goals or more.
The end result means the Azzurri will be in the playoffs for the third consecutive World Cup qualifying campaign.
Gennaro Gattuso replaced Luciano Spalletti at the beginning of the year, and has so far won all of his games whilst in charge. A perfect four from four.
Yet the 2006 World Cup winner is under no illusions on the task at hand. After missing the last two editions, Italy simply have to make it to the tournament at the third time of asking.
“I’ll take credit if I can reach the target; otherwise, I’ll move away from Italy. I’m already living quite far away, but I’d go even further away,” Gattuso said at a press conference following the game.
A nation of Italy’s standing in the world game simply cannot miss three World Cups in a row. Since winning the competition for a fourth time in 2006, they’ve won a single game since.
2010 was disastrous and winless; 2014 was marginally better but still represented an early exit, and in 2018 and 2022 Italian players watched from the sofa at home.
A whole generation of players, and fans, have grown up barely seeing the Azzurri feature in the world’s greatest sporting competition.
For Gattuso the mandate is simple: get Italy to the tournament.
With a playoff spot the most likely outcome for Italy, Sweden or Moldova could be the opponents standing in Gattuso’s way.
Sweden will, of course, bring back bad memories of the 2017 playoff clash.
Then under Gian Piero Ventura, Italy couldn’t overturn a 1-0 loss from the first leg at San Siro, with Ventura looking lost at sea, attempting to bring on Daniele De Rossi when his side needed goals, a point the Roma midfielder made on the spot.
Playoff matches will be played in single-leg semifinals, followed by single-leg finals within the same international window in March 2026.
For the 2022 edition, Italy fell at the semi final hurdle to North Macedonia.
Can Gattuso go one better this time around? Third luck is a charm, as they say.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmetgates/2025/10/15/italy-secure-world-cup-playoff-spot-but-recent-history-weighs-heavy/
