Curaçao’s Qualification Sparks Frustration for Italy in World Cup Bidding Battle

Is the qualifying format for the 2026 World Cup fair? Italians clearly think not, especially figures like Gennaro Gattuso, who voiced strong concerns about their team’s barring situation. The qualification of Curaçao has only fueled their frustrations, as they lament the fate of their national team, which now faces two critical matches to avoid missing yet another World Cup. Curaçao, along with Haiti and Panama, made history by qualifying in the recent CONCACAF qualifiers (North and Central America).

This situation has sparked anger from the director of Il Corriere dello Sport, who criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Instagram. He stated, “If Curaçao qualifies for the World Cup instead of Italy, regardless of our national team’s mistakes, what technical value does this tournament have? It’s just Infantino’s electoral politics…” The newspaper is openly critical of Infantino on its website’s front page.