ITalley faces a new decisive chapter in the complex qualification phase for the 2026 World Cup. Gennaro Gattuso’s side are in need of a real miracle. Norway, who beat Moldova away and leads the group with a perfect score, will hope to drop a point at home to Estonia.
However, this scenario seems virtually impossible. As a result, Italy is already assuming that it will have to play a third straight double-elimination play-off to return to the World Cup for the first time in more than a decade.
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Coach Gattuso criticizes qualifying system: ‘It’s unfair for Europe’
Despite tensions over the possibility of a play-off, Gattuso once again expressed his displeasure with the format of World Cup qualifying, which he believes is unbalanced between federations.
“I have no regrets (about participating in the playoffs). A win is a win, but we need to understand the criteria well,” the Italian coach said.
As I said before, when you see 10 teams in the South American group, 6 of which qualify, and 7 advance to the playoffs with Oceania… the biggest disappointment is that they don’t qualify directly. We definitely need to review our standards,” the former midfielder insisted.
Gattuso also called for unity and a sense of belonging within the group, stressing that Italian football needs to reconnect with its fans.
“We want people to fall in love again. The love for the shirt and that desire should never be lacking. Walking around the stadium you can feel it in the fans and I’m sure the players can feel it too,” said the manager, determined to bring Italy back into the world’s elite.
He was away from the World Cup for over 10 years.
Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 Russia tournament and the 2022 Qatar tournament, and has not participated in a World Cup since the 2014 Brazil tournament. The possibility of being eliminated for the third year in a row will be a huge blow to a historic team that has won four World Cups but has not been able to rediscover its former greatness over the past decade.
Italy’s World Cup dreams depend on Moldova, but the real miracle depends on what happens in Oslo. Norway will have to drop points against Estonia, who have no hope.
