Since the very inception of international football, Italy have been one of the world’s best and most formidable nations on the global stage.
The Azzurri have been considered a top-tier football nation ever since they won the second and third FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1934 and 1938, a feat that they repeated two more times by triumphing in 1982 and 2006.
Yet since their most recent title, coming on German soil as they beat Zinedine Zidane and France in a penalty shootout, the trajectory of the Italian national team has been firmly downward.
After being eliminated in the group stage at both the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, Italy shockingly missed out on qualifying for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup competitions – the first times in their history they missed out on the finals.
Now, as they gear up for participation in the UEFA qualifying playoffs, gunning for one of the final spots at the 2026 World Cup in North America, Italy are on the brink of missing out for a third straight tournament, an unthinkable proposition not long ago but now a realistic possibility across a decade of pain.
The Sporting News brings you a timeline of Italy’s spiral from four-time World Cup champions to a country struggling to justify its elite status.
Timeline of major Italy results since 2014 World Cup
- Italy 1-1 Germany (July 2, 2016 — Euro 2016 quarterfinals): Germany eliminate Italy from Euro 2016 on penalties.
- Spain 3-0 Italy (September 2, 2017 — World Cup qualifying): Leaves Italy second in qualifying group.
- Italy 0 (0-1) 0 Sweden (November 13, 2017 — World Cup qualifying playoff, second leg): Italy fail to reach 2018 World Cup.
- Italy 1-2 Spain (October 6, 2021 — UEFA Nations League semifinals): Italy eliminated from Nations League Finals by Spain.
- Italy 1-1 England (July 11, 2021 — Euro 2020 final): Italy win Euro 2020 on penalties.
- N. Ireland 0-0 Italy (November 15, 2021 — World Cup qualifying): Italy finish World Cup qualifying main stage with draws to Switzerland and Northern Ireland, finishing second.
- Italy 0-1 North Macedonia (March 24, 2022 — World Cup qualifying playoff): Italy lose in one-off World Cup qualifying playoff, eliminated from 2022 World Cup field.
- Spain 2-1 Italy (June 15, 2023 — UEFA Nations League semifinals): Italy again beaten by Spain in Nations League semis.
- Switzerland 2-0 Italy (June 29, 2024 — Euro 2024 Round of 16): Italy defeated by Switzerland, bounced from Euro 2024 in Round of 16.
- Germany 3 (5-4) 3 Italy (March 23, 2025 — UEFA Nations League quarterfinals, second leg): Italy eliminated from Nations League quarterfinals by Germany after losing first leg 2-1.
- Italy 1-4 Norway (November 16, 2025 — World Cup qualifying): Second defeat to Norway in World Cup qualifying leaves Italy second in group despite winning every other qualifying game.
- Italy vs. N. Ireland (March 26, 2026 — World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal): ???
Italy win 2006 World Cup title
It all began back in 2006 as Italy triumphed at the World Cup in Germany, improbably so, against the backdrop of the Calciopoli corruption scandal back hom
They topped their group above Ghana, the Czech Republic, and the United States, winning twice while drawing with eventual basement-dwellers USA. They eliminated Australia and Ukraine in the knockout stage before a semifinal meeting with hosts Germany, where they played to a scoreless draw in regulation before winning in extra-time thanks to late goals from Fabio Grosso and Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero.
After Zinedine Zidane converted a penalty just seven minutes into the final, things felt foreboding, but a Marco Materazzi goal 12 minutes later levelled the score, and it remained even until the end when a penalty shootout was required, after Zidane’s unforgettable red card for headbutting Materazzi in the chest. All five Italian penalty takers converted their spot-kicks, with Grosso scoring decisively after David Trezeguet clattered the crossbar with France’s only miss.
Italy bow out of 2010 and 2014 World Cups in group stage
Italy performances at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups both showed signs of struggles at the national team level as they were eliminated in the group stage on both occasions.
After topping their qualifying group, they attempted to defend their title in South Africa, and things went belly-up from the start as they only managed to rescue a draw with Paraguay in their opening match. They did so again against New Zealand just six days later, another 1-1 draw that left them in a dire position. Needing a win against Slovakia to advance, they were chasing the game all the way in an eventual 3-2 defeat that left them bottom of the group.
Four years later, Italy again topped their qualifying group with ease, but struggled early on at the final tournament in Brazil. An opening-round win over England was quickly erased by an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica, and their fate was sealed as Diego Godin scored a late winner for Uruguay in the group finale, leaving them third in the standings.
Italy fail to qualify for 2018 World Cup
While many Italy fans believed their group stage failures in 2010 and 2014 were rock bottom, there was much farther to fall for the Azzurri.
Drawn into the same qualifying group as Spain ahead of the 2018 tournament, they performed well overall but could not defeat the eventual group winners, leaving them to negotiate the playoff round.
It was there that disaster struck, as Italy failed to score in either leg against 25th-ranked Sweden, losing 1-0 on aggregate. It was the end of a legendary career for goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and the start of a decade of pain for the Italian national team.
The qualifying journey was rife with discord. Manager Gian Piero Ventura faced heavy criticism for his personnel decisions, including from within. A lasting image of the match was midfielder Daniele De Rossi’s response to being asked to warm up with the team trailing 1-0 in the second leg. “Why the hell should I go on?” he responded. “We don’t need a draw here. We need to win” before eyeing further down the bench where Lorenzo Insigne sat.
Italy win Euro 2020 to boost hopes of a revival
With the pain of the 2018 World Cup disaster still fresh, Italy had to wait an extra year to wash it away at Euro 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the tournament back until the summer of 2021.
On home soil during the group stage, Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri looked like a completely different team than the one that fell to Sweden, with Giorgio Chiellini staying on to captain a refreshed squad. They kept three clean sheets in a picture-perfect group stage performance against Wales, Switzerland, and Turkey.
In the knockout stage, Italy were breached in every game but they did just enough to advance at each stage. They beat Austria 2-1 in extra time thanks to a winning goal from Matteo Pessina, before defeating Belgium 2-1 by holding the Red Devils scoreless in the second half. They shook off a late equaliser by Alvaro Morata in the semifinals to defeat Spain on penalties, before the same result in the final against England.
The final shootout was mayhem, but Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka all failed to convert their consecutive efforts from the spot to see Italy win the title.
Italy fail to qualify for 2022 World Cup
Unfortunately, the Azzurri’s return to the top of European football proved to be a false dawn.
Considered the top side in their qualification group that included Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania, a spot in Qatar 2022 seemed theirs to grasp.
Instead, it all fell apart once again. While Italy avoided defeat across the entire qualifying campaign, they could not get over the hump. While they started out strong in shutout wins over the bottom three teams, the goals began to dry up. In their final five qualifying matches, they drew four of them, scoring just two goals in those four draws sandwiching a 5-0 win over Lithuania.
That left them a disappointing second behind Switzerland, sent back to the playoffs once again. After the draw, the semifinal against North Macedonia was not believed to be the highest hurdle, instead looking ahead to a potential final against Portugal or Turkey. Yet they failed to even reach that stage, as they fell short in a 1-0 defeat to the 66th-ranked minnows, unable to find the net despite 32 shots across the 90 minutes.
It was a heartbreaking way for all of the Mancini feelgood factor to go up in smoke. By the time Euro 2024 came around, Luciano Spalletti was in charge after leading Napoli to Scudetto glory. However, his attempts with the national team were ultimately abject.
Will Italy qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
After the pain of the last two World Cup qualifying campaigns, Italy find themselves again in a similar position.
With Spalletti departing the federation following a Round of 16 exit at Euro 2024, the Azzurri installed Gennaro Gattuso as head coach, tasked with leading them back to the World Cup.
Instead, the same issues of the past decade reared their heads once again. Despite clobbering most of their qualifying group, a perfect six-for-six against Moldova, Estonia, and Israel, they were unable to best Norway, falling on their faces at both attempts. A 3-0 defeat on the road in Oslo to begin qualifying left them chasing the Landslaget all qualifying, and a 4-1 loss at San Siro doomed them to the playoff once again.
Now, they face a familiar feeling of foreboding as they gear up to face Northern Ireland in the semifinals of the playoff round, with a potential final against either Wales or Bosnia & Herzegovina to follow. Italy will be considered heavy favourites in both those games, but clearing the final hurdles has eluded them on multiple previous attempts.
