Reports over the weekend claimed that the Italy national team players attempted to negotiate a bonus before their World Cup play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the latest updates indicate that the Azzurri squad members would have received individual ‘gifts’ had they managed to qualify.
Report: Italy squad would have received World Cup qualification bonus ‘gifts’
According to recent reports from La Repubblica, Italian players sought a collective bonus of €300,000, which equates to just over €10,000 per player, in the event of qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
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The dreams of qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America came crashing down after a penalty shoot-out defeat away against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final on Tuesday evening.
The Repubblica report claimed that Gattuso attempted to dissuade his players from negotiating over a potential bonus fee before the World Cup play-off final was played.
However, according to Sunday’s updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the FIGC would have been prepared to offer Italy national team players bonus ‘gifts’ had they qualified for the World Cup.
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Moise Kean of Italy celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s opening goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
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The Pink Paper points out that the Italy squad do not receive fees for representing the national team squad, but regardless, a financial bonus of around €10,000 would not have made much difference economically speaking to a group of highly-paid top level footballers.
So, instead of a cash bonus, the FIGC were reportedly preparing a more sentimental bonus ‘gift’ for the players. La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested that the players might have been given individual watches instead, or something along those lines.
La Gazzetta dello Sport adds that there were discussions among the players after the Northern Ireland match on the topic of a potential bonus, but that there were no formal requests from players for a specific cash prize.
