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Apr 01, 2026

Italy faces challenge to end two consecutive World Cup qualification failures

Italy, one of only three nations to win the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, becoming the first four-time champion to miss back-to-back editions [1][2].

In the UEFA play-offs for Russia 2018, Italy lost 1-0 on aggregate to Sweden, with Johan Johansson scoring the only goal in the second leg at San Siro on 13 November 2017 [3].

For Qatar 2022, North Macedonia stunned Italy with a 1-0 victory in the play-off semi-final on 29 March 2022 at Renato Dall'Ara stadium in Bologna, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal by Aleksandar Trajkovski [4].

These misses marked a stark contrast to Italy's historical success, including back-to-back titles in the 1930s and triumphs amid domestic scandals in 1982 and 2006 [1].

UEFA qualification for the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, features 16 groups contested between March 2025 and November 2025, followed by play-offs in March 2026 [5].

Twelve European teams will qualify directly as group winners, with four more spots available via play-offs involving group runners-up and selected UEFA Nations League teams [5].

Italy competes in one of these groups as part of efforts to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2006 [6].