After the final round of Nations League fixtures, a number of countries are in good form ahead of the World Cup in November – including Italy.
Roberto Mancini has overseen a 1-0 win against England, as well as a 2-0 win over Hungary during this international break, although the 57-year-old will not be able to test his side against the very best in Qatar.
Why Italy aren’t in the World Cup 2022
Less than 12 months after the highs of winning EURO 2020 at Wembley – held in 2021 due to the global pandemic – Italy came crashing back down to Earth in March 2022.
Remarkably, the Italians suffered defeat to North Macedonia in their World Cup playoff semi-final as Aleksandar Trajkovski’s late goal dealt a crushing blow to the nation.
Italy could only finish second in Group C behind Switzerland, forcing them into the playoff system where they appeared to be given a beatable opponent in North Macedonia – with all due respect.
Unfortunately, the likes of Marco Verratti and Giorgio Chiellini could not inspire their teammates to success, and North Macedonia were eventually prevented from qualifying themselves as Portugal won 2-0 in the playoff final.
It meant Italy would miss out on a second successive World Cup, having also failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after another dreadful qualification campaign.
Italy must qualify for 2026 World Cup
If Italy somehow fail to qualify for three successive World Cup tournaments, it would be simply unacceptable for a nation of this size and quality.
Icons such as Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio would surely be disgusted with the current generation if such a nightmarish scenario actually happened.
In truth, even failing to qualify for the last two World Cup campaigns simply isn’t good enough.
Mancini signed a new contract running until June 2026 just weeks before winning EURO 2020, although he said “we will see” when asked if he’ll fulfil that commitment after defeat to North Macedonia.
If the old Manchester City boss does depart, it is imperative that Italy find the right man to turn their World Cup qualifying fortunes around.
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