Four-time champions Italy have failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout in their playoff final on Tuesday in Zenica.
The defeat sees Italy become the first former champions to miss three straight World Cups, with none of the current squad having ever featured at the tournament.
Italy made a bright start as Moise Kean scored early, but their momentum was disrupted before half-time when centre-back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card. Bosnia capitalised late on, with substitute Haris Tabakovic equalising in the 79th minute to make it 1-1.
The match went into extra time with Italy reduced to 10 men, but neither side could find a winner in the additional 30 minutes. In the resulting penalty shootout, Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante both missed their spot kicks, while U.S.-born Esmir Bajraktarević converted the decisive penalty to seal Bosnia’s victory.
“We still don’t believe it — that we’re out and that it happened in this manner,” Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola said. “It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
The result compounds Italy’s recent struggles, following playoff eliminations by Sweden and North Macedonia in the last two World Cup qualification campaigns. The Azzurri last won a knockout match at the tournament in 2006, when they defeated France in the final.
Italy had reached the playoff final after beating Northern Ireland 2-0 in last week’s semi-final, while Bosnia advanced by overcoming Wales in a penalty shootout.
Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden and Türkiye secured qualification. Sweden defeated Poland 3-2, while Türkiye edged Kosovo 1-0. Czechia also booked their place after beating Denmark in a shootout.
Italy’s absence from the upcoming tournament means the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without playing at the World Cup.
Their decline dates back to 2010 and 2014, when they failed to progress beyond the group stage, although they did win the European Championship in 2021. The only other time Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup was in 1958.
Bosnia will now feature in their second World Cup after debuting in 2014, and have been drawn in Group B alongside co-host Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
The defeat is expected to intensify scrutiny on coach Gennaro Gattuso, who was appointed in June after Luciano Spalletti was dismissed. Gattuso had overseen a six-match winning run before Italy lost again to Norway in November, finishing second in their group and dropping into the playoffs.
“I want to personally apologize since we didn’t make it,” Gattuso said. “Today talking about my future is not important. Today it was important to get to the World Cup.”
Despite being ranked 12th in the world compared to Bosnia’s significantly lower position, Italy struggled throughout the match at the 14,000-capacity Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, as their World Cup drought continues.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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