The Third Apocalypse: Italian Football Facing Identity Crisis After Another FIFA World Cup Failure

The first time was considered a fluke. The second was treated as a crisis. Now, with Italy failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, it has become almost expected for the once-proud soccer nation.

The four-time champion’s penalty shootout loss to 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying playoffs comes after the Azzurri were eliminated at the same stage by Sweden ahead of the 2018 World Cup and by North Macedonia in 2022.

A front-page editorial in the Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday labeled the latest ouster “The third apocalypse,” noting “there’s no longer a feeling of shock or an unexpected catastrophe. It’s becoming the norm.”

The issues in Italian soccer extend beyond the national team.

The last Italian club to win the Champions League was Inter Milan in 2010; while in this season’s continental competition, all four Italian clubs were eliminated before the quarterfinals.

“It’s like we’re not ready for the big match. We’re not ready when it matters … when you need to give that extra … when you have the pressure on,” Salvatore Corso, a 34-year-old Italian who works in a tech startup, said after watching the Italy defeat at a pub in Rome on Tuesday.

Sports Minister Andrea Abodi called on Italian soccer federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina to resign.

“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Abodi said, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC.”

Added former Italian Premier Matteo Renzi: “Unfortunately the third consecutive elimination from the World Cup is not an April Fool’s joke. It’s a sign that Italian soccer has failed. Soccer isn’t just entertainment in our country; it’s part of our culture and national identity.”

National team neglected

Between the every-four-years failures, the national team gets neglected.

One Italy coach after another has lobbied unsuccessfully for more training camps outside the pre-set FIFA international breaks.

Under pressure from TV rights holders, Serie A consistently refuses to move up matches to give national team players more time to rest before Italy games — as evidenced when a Fiorentina-Inter Milan game featuring multiple Azzurri was held on the Sunday night before the training camp opened for these playoffs hours later on a Monday.

Coaches don’t want the Italy job

With the failures piling up, Italy’s revered coaches don’t appear to want the national team job.

Roberto Mancini left his position in charge of the Azzurri before the 2024 European Championship to take over Saudi Arabia’s national team.

Gian Piero Ventura, who directed Italy during the defeat to Sweden in 2017, never coached a major club.

When Luciano Spalletti was fired after Italy lost its opening qualifier to Norway last year, Claudio Ranieri turned down an offer to replace him and the much less experienced Gennaro Gattuso was hired instead.

Gravina is still holding onto his job after also surviving the qualifying elimination for the 2022 World Cup.

“Next week we will make much deeper reflections on the situation,” Gravina said, hinting that he could call for a new election for the country’s top soccer position. “There are a lot of evaluations to consider.”