Italy in Tears Again After Historic Third Straight World Cup Exit
The full weight of it hit in the dressing room in Zenica. Players sobbing. Staff silent. A generation of Italian footballers who have never played at a World Cup — and now face the very real possibility they never will.
Italy were eliminated on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday. 1-1 after extra time, 4-1 on spot-kicks. Moise Kean had given them hope, but Alessandro Bastoni’s red card before half-time changed everything. Haris Tabakovic equalised in the 79th minute. The rest was shootout heartbreak — Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante both missed; Bosnia didn’t.
“We still don’t believe it — that we’re out and that it happened in this manner,” said defender Leonardo Spinazzola. “It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
That is the brutal context. Italy have now missed three consecutive World Cups — 2018, 2022 and 2026. No former champion has ever done that. They last played at the tournament in 2006, when they lifted the trophy in Berlin. Since then: nothing. The current players grew up watching other nations at football’s biggest stage. They are still watching.
Coach Gennaro Gattuso said simply: “I want to personally apologize since we didn’t make it.” He did not talk about his future. Nobody blamed him for that.
Italy will go at least 16 years without a World Cup game. It is an extraordinary failure for one of football’s greatest nations.