Italy Risks Losing Euro 2032 Hosting Rights After FIFA World Cup 2026 Failure, Warns UEFA Chief

Italy failed to qualify for their third consecutive FIFA World Cup after losing the European play-off final on penalties against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The catastrophic outcome has been labelled “the third apocalypse”, but it can get even worse as UEFA has threatened Italy with being stripped of its Euro 2032 hosting rights.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin issued a strongly worded ultimatum to Italy, saying that unless the country makes urgent improvements to its stadium infrastructure, it will not be allowed to host the European Championships. Italy and Turkiye are scheduled to co-host Euro 2032.

“Euro 2032 is in programme and will go ahead as scheduled. I hope the infrastructure will be ready. Otherwise, the tournament won’t be played in Italy,” Ceferin said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The UEFA chief blamed Italian politicians for the state of their crumbling infrastructure. “Perhaps it is the Italian politicians who should ask themselves why Italy has one of the worst football infrastructures in Europe,” he said.

Earlier, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala urged Inter Milan and AC Milan to complete the construction of their planned new stadium, as a direct replacement for San Siro, by 2031. The Milanese clubs have struck a deal to purchase San Siro and build a new ground adjacent to it.

“(The new stadium) must be ready by 2031,” Sala said, “because UEFA is telling us that they will not consider Milan for the 2032 European Championship if San Siro remains.”

Pressure On FIGC After World Cup Failure

Italian football’s ongoing identity crisis has led to widespread criticism and political pressure on the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Sports Minister Andrea Abodi called on FIGC president Gabriele Gravina to resign, saying it is “objectively unfair to deny one’s own responsibility” for the situation.

However, Ceferin has backed Gravina, saying that Italy’s absence from the 48-team World Cup “is absolutely not Gabriele’s fault”.

“When I was president of the Slovenian FA, I always told the coach: ‘If you win, you and the players will be the heroes. If you lose, the blame will fall on us’,” Ceferin said. “Gabriele is my first vice president and is very important to me. But the greatest loss would be to the FIGC. It won’t be easy to find a gentleman who loves football and Italy so much.”

Meanwhile, there are question marks about the future of Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the 48-year-old has decided to step down.