Having won four World Cups and four European Championships, Italy is one of the top soccer nations in the world. Yet it will be missing out on the 22nd World Cup in Qatar. It was the first time in eight years that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. It’s the first time Italy has missed a World Cup final since 1958. It was also the first time Italy failed to qualify for the tournament in the group phase since 2010.
It’s been an incredibly frustrating time for Italy. The World Cup cycle is going to hit them hard and there’s no question that it’s going to have a huge impact on Italy for the next four years. Fortunately, they have a lot of superstars to help carry the load. Nonetheless, the team will need to find a way to turn things around.
Italy has won the World Cup four times in its history, but it failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time in eight years. It’s the first time Italy has failed to qualify for the tournament in the group stage since 2010. It was the first time Italy missed the tournament in a round since 1958, and the first time they’ve failed to qualify for the tournament in consecutive years.
Italy’s golden generation was expected to top their qualifying group, but it didn’t happen. They were drawn in Group C along with Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Northern Ireland. They finished second in the group, with two points behind Switzerland. However, they didn’t qualify for the World Cup, and will instead take part in Euro 2024. They’ll then face England in qualifying for the tournament. They’ll also face Ukraine and North Macedonia in the qualifying round for the tournament.
In March, Italy faced a shocking defeat against North Macedonia. They were beaten 1-0, with Aleksandar Trajkovski scoring the only goal of the game in the 92nd minute. It was a surprise, as Italy had been expected to go to the World Cup in Qatar and would have been the only top seed not to qualify automatically. However, they qualified for the play-offs, where they lost 1-0 to North Macedonia.
Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup was a national embarrassment. It was also a national shame that Roberto Mancini was still at the helm of the team, despite the fact that he’s managed Italy to Euro 2020 qualification. After Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, Serie A refused to move their league matches to Hungary and Austria. This move would have given Mancini more time with his players and allowed him to build on the Euro 2020 victory.
The Italian media were furious at the team’s performance in South Africa, and it’s understandable. It’s difficult to say why Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup, but the fact that they weren’t able to qualify for the tournament in two consecutive years shows just how important team cohesion is. It’s going to be a tough time for Italy, but they have a huge talent pool of superstars to help them.
