Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has once again called for a radical restructuring of Italian football following the Azzurri's catastrophic failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The outspoken Partenopei owner believes the current 20-team format of Serie A is "destroying" players and leaving the Italy national team with no room to breathe.
After Italy once again failed to qualify for the World Cup, the president of the Italian Football Federation is facing calls for his resignation from politicians.
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic was a surprise guest in the stands as Italy suffered a historic defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina, failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The 24-time Grand Slam winner joined a raucous crowd in Zenica to witness the four-time world champions lose a tense playoff final clash on penalties.
Leonardo Spinazzola has laid bare the heartbreak within the Italy squad after Bosnia and Herzegovina extinguished their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup. The veteran fullback admitted his own international dream is likely over while expressing his deepest sympathies for a generation of Italian children who have never seen their nation on the biggest stage.
Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted he is in deep pain after the Azzurri failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup following a dramatic playoff defeat in the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the historic failure, the Italian football federation has already moved to clarify the manager's immediate future amid the fallout.
Which goalkeepers have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove award across the history of the competition? The award was introduced for the 1994 tournament, meaning plenty of iconic goalkeepers, including the likes of Gordon Banks and the initially eponymous Lev Yashin, missed out on the individual award. GOAL has everything you need to know about the award handed to the standout stopper at any single tournament.
For the former Italy and Inter defender, the sense that they might not make it was palpable against Northern Ireland. Now it’s Bosnia, who are beatable
Italy are World Cup royalty. Only five-time winners Brazil have been crowned champions on more occasions than the Azzurri (four). And yet it's now 20 years since Italy last lifted the trophy. Worse still, they've failed to qualify for the past two tournaments, meaning there's an entire generation that have never seen their country even play in a World Cup.
Italy
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