Italy Miss Third Straight World Cup as Bosnia Seal Qualification After 12 Years
Italy will not feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending a worrying decline after suffering a dramatic playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina secured the final European qualification slot with a 4-1 penalty shootout victory following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
The match turned pivotal late in the first half when Italy were reduced to ten men after Alessandro Bastoni was sent off.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Italy showed resilience, holding their opponents through regulation time and extra time to force penalties.
However, Bosnia held their nerve in the shootout, converting four times as goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj turned the hero by saving efforts from Francesco Esposito and Bryan Cristante to seal a famous victory and book their place at the global showpiece for the first time in 12 years.
The result marks a significant milestone for Bosnia and Herzegovina, while deepening concerns over Italy’s prolonged struggles on the world stage.
Since lifting the trophy at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Italy’s record has sharply declined. They were eliminated at the group stage in both 2010 and 2014, before failing to qualify for the 2018, 2022, and now 2026 editions.
For a nation with four World Cup titles, the latest setback shows a continuing period of underachievement and raises fresh questions about the future direction of Italian football.