Italy Faces Anxiety Ahead of the 2026 World Cup Qualifying Matches

In Italy, the international break has been anything but restful. The heavy defeat to Norway (1-4) at San Siro has shattered the confidence built since Gennaro Gattuso took charge, reigniting deep doubts about a national football team still seeking stability. Critics are voicing their concerns, questioning how a historically great nation and European champion in 2021 can appear so fragile and uninspired. Now, the team faces yet another challenging path through playoffs to reach the 2026 World Cup. In the stands and on television, fans are caught between frustration and resignation. Many view the collapse in Oslo as a sign of a deeper issue, with a team still hesitant and psychologically fragile, forced into a perilous spring. Despite an U-17 European championship in 2024, a U-20 runner-up finish in 2023, and U-19 championships in 2022 and 2023, the senior national team struggles to rejuvenate and develop its young talents.

This collective anxiety isn’t random. Italy, more than any other major European nation, remembers the traumas of 2018 and 2022, two shock exits that have left lasting scars. Now, history seems set to repeat itself. As of Sunday night, it’s official: the Azzurri will once again have to navigate the European playoffs, and the identities of the teams in the four brackets are now known. Supporters received this news with a mix of dread and acceptance. March will be another test, where every mistake could prove costly. The road to the World Cup involves yet more knockout matches, a cruel reflection of recent traumas. All this to exorcise old demons and hope to qualify for the first World Cup in 12 years, with Italy last playing in a World Cup final in 2006 against France. The draw will take place this Thursday, and 60 million fans are holding their breath.

Haunting Memories Resurface

Indeed, fate could reignite past nightmares. The playoff format, unchanged in principle, consists of four mini-brackets with single-match semifinals and finals. Italy, ranked in Pot 1 due to its FIFA ranking, will have the advantage of playing its semifinal at home, but must face one of four teams that qualified through the 2024/25 Nations League: Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, or North Macedonia. This draw already sends chills down the spines of many Italians, given Sweden’s historic upset in 2017 and North Macedonia’s shock defeat in Palermo in 2022—two of the darkest moments in recent Italian football history. If fate places one of these nations in Italy’s path, the match could take on an immense psychological significance, becoming both a long-awaited and feared revenge. But the challenges don’t stop there.

If Italy manages to overcome this first hurdle, the final will present an even tougher challenge, with opponents drawn from the second or third pots. Among these are well-equipped teams accustomed to such high-stakes encounters, including Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, a Wales team fresh off a significant 7-1 victory, and both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Additionally, Ireland, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo in Pot 3 cannot be underestimated. It’s clear that nothing will be easy, certain, or comfortable for Italy, which must draw upon its pride, tactical discipline, and character to hope for a journey to Mexico, Canada, and the United States in 2026. More than just a qualification, Italy needs to demonstrate it has finally moved on from its past troubles and can become a team that inspires fear once again.