Italy relived one of their nightmares on Tuesday, March 31, as they drew 1-1 in the 2026 World Cup playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, losing 4-1 on penalties.
This result was a historic milestone. The Azzurri will miss out on the tournament for the third year in a row, and fans have already begun speculating about a losing streak. Amid all the possibilities, the “curse of Zinedine Zidane” has resurfaced.
Italy’s World Cup defeat reignites talk of “Zidane’s curse”
After winning the play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland, Gennaro Gattuso’s side became favorites to qualify for the World Cup. During the match, Azzurri took the lead with a goal from Moise Kean. However, in the 41st minute, Alessandro Bastoni was sent off, leaving the team with 10 men on the field. Haris Tabakovic scored the equalizer in the 79th minute.
After extra time, the match went to penalties, but Donnarumma was unable to stop all four of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s shots.
Fans were disappointed to see Italy, who achieved glory in 2006, once again fail on football’s biggest stage, losing to X.
“This is really sad,” one of them said. “For a country with such a football history, this is heartbreaking,” said another. “People don’t even understand what this means. We’re talking about a 4-time world champion,” a third user wrote.
However, some fans blamed La Nazionale’s misfortune on a “curse”, particularly a long-standing theory regarding Zinedine Zidane.
“Zidane’s curse is real, brother,” one of them insisted. “The curse might be real,” a fan commented. “How long must I bear this curse?” asked another.
Zidane’s curse began with a memorable incident in the 2006 final, when he was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi. Although Italy was crowned champions at that time, their performance in subsequent World Cups was disastrous.
2010 South Africa: Eliminated in group stage. 2014 Brazil: Lost in the group stage again. Russia 2018: Lost 1-0 to Sweden in the playoffs, missing out on qualification. Qatar 2022: Lost 1-0 to North Macedonia, missing out on the World Cup once again. 2026 North America: Draw 1-1, lose 4-1 and miss out on qualification. Penalty for Bosnia.
Beyond theory, the truth is that the four-time world champion is experiencing a serious crisis that has already attracted criticism.
If it is confirmed that he will be absent in 2026, the Italian national team will have gone 20 years without appearing in the final round of the World Cup, and 12 years without even appearing in the tournament.
