'We Still Don't Believe It': Italy In Disbelief Over Another World Cup Failure

One of soccer’s historic powers has reached a once-unfathomable low.

Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third-straight World Cup after getting beat in a penalty shootout with 10 men at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs on Tuesday.

Their matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina was a chance at redemption, but alas, they will watch from home and endure another four-year waiting period to get another shot. 

Moise Kean scored early on for Italy but then Azzurri center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th to send the game into extra time at 1-1.

The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.

"It’s too easy to say what’s working and what’s not working," Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said. "The fact is that Italy has failed to qualify for three World Cups. We’re having a tough time achieving our goals, both with the national team and with our clubs."

Bosnia won the shootout 4-1 and qualified for the first time since 2014 — its only previous appearance. In the shootout, Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks and U.S.-born Esmir Bajraktarević converted the decisive penalty for Bosnia.

"We still don’t believe it — that we’re out and that it happened in this manner," Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola said. "It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup."

Italy’s latest ouster means that the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer’s biggest event. 

Italy’s World Cup struggles go back all the way to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions. Although the Azzurri did win the European Championship in 2021.

Italy’s last World Cup knockout match was when it won the title in 2006 by beating France in a penalty shootout. 

Lost generation

An entire generation — basically anyone under 15 — has no memory of the last time Italy played in the World Cup: An elimination loss to Uruguay in 2014 in Brazil remembered for Luis Suarez’s bite of Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder.

None of Italy’s current players have participated in a World Cup finals.

The defeat will raise questions about the status of Gattuso, who took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June with the squad already in crisis mode following a defeat at Norway in its opening qualifier. 

The Azzurri then went on a six-match winning streak before losing again to Norway in November to finish second in their group and end up in the playoffs again.

"I want to personally apologize since we didn’t make it," Gattuso said. "Today, talking about my future is not important. Today it was important to get to the World Cup."

Mismatch on paper

On paper, it was a massive mismatch between 12th-ranked Italy and Bosnia, which is ranked 54 places below the Azzurri by FIFA.

Italy has a population of nearly 60 million. Bosnia’s is about 3.5 million.

The combined club salaries of Italy’s players total nearly 1 billion euros ($1 million). Bosnia’s total is a seventh of that.

Bajraktarević, who had the winning penalty, was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. He made his U.S. debut in a January 2024 friendly against Slovenia and then switched affiliation that August.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.