Italian football reached its nadir this year. Across Europe, no Italian club progressed beyond the quarter-finals of continental competition, with only Atalanta representing Serie A in the Champions League round of 16. Yet the domestic struggles paled in comparison to the catastrophe engulfing the national team.
For the third consecutive tournament cycle, Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. For a nation that has lifted the trophy four times, this represented an almost incomprehensible collapse.
The first two qualification failures had been softened by the triumphant Euro 2020 campaign at Wembley, which offered the country a glimmer of redemption. The third World Cup miss, however, proved the breaking point. A 48-team World Cup proceeded without Italian representation, triggering a seismic upheaval within the federation. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso departed, Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina stepped down, and Gianluigi Buffon relinquished his role as head of delegation.
Now, Italy has turned to the architect of their European triumph. Roberto Mancini, the manager who delivered the Euros five years ago, has returned to the helm.
The weight of expectation falls heavily on the shoulders of the squad.
It's a sensitive subject that affects me a lot, because not qualifying for three World Cups in a row is tough, and Italy certainly doesn't deserve that, Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports.
Donnarumma acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead.
We have to work. The only way forward is to work, he said.
There has now been a change of coach, the return of Mr Mancini - and the objective is to work and try to take Italy back to where it deserves to be.
The captain stressed the personal investment of the players in reversing the nation's fortunes.
I know it's not easy for the fans, but especially for us, because only we know how much it means to us to play in a competition like the World Cup. So we'll give everything to bring Italy back to where it deserves to be. We have a great responsibility because history says that Italy should always be there. History has taught us that. So we have to bring Italy back to where it belongs.
Historically, Italy has indeed belonged among football's elite. Yet the two decades since their 2006 World Cup triumph have been marked by steady decline. Twenty years on from that penalty shoot-out victory over France, Italy's last appearance in a World Cup knockout stage remains that 2006 final. In the intervening period, they have managed just one World Cup victory - the 2-1 win over England in Brazil in 2014.
The 2012 European Championships provided temporary respite, with Italy reaching the final. But that generation has since faded, and the transition to the next cohort of talent has proven disastrous.
The talent drain
The World Cup-winning squad of 2006 boasted world-class defenders in Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta, alongside midfield steel from Gennaro Gattuso and the attacking brilliance of Alessandro Del Piero. Six years later, that generation persisted through Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi, and Andrea Pirlo. However, following the retirements of Giorgio Chiellini and Leandro Bonucci, Italian football has struggled to produce replacements of comparable calibre.
The statistics paint a bleak picture. According to the CIES Football Observatory, between 2020 and 2025, Italy produced just 413 football exports, ranking 24th globally - behind the United States, Japan and Russia. Each of Europe's other four major league nations managed over 1,000 players in the same category. Italian talent, whether young or established, has become significantly less attractive to Europe's elite clubs.
This shortage manifests acutely at international level. Between June 2025 and February 2026, only one capped Italy player under the age of 24 featured in the squad - Inter's young forward Pio Esposito. England, by contrast, fielded a dozen players in that age bracket during the same period.
Domestically, Serie A gave just 1.9 per cent of playing time to eligible players under 21 in 2025, the second-lowest proportion among the world's top 50 leagues. Only the United Arab Emirates Pro League offered less opportunity to youth development.
Stagnation in the domestic game
The weakness of Serie A last season reflected this broader malaise. High-profile signings included veteran stars Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric and Jamie Vardy, yet the league struggled to generate fresh tactical ideas. The managerial carousel has seen Antonio Conte, Max Allegri, Gennaro Gattuso, Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri circulate among the top clubs with minimal variation in approach. This summer alone, Maurizio Sarri moved to Atalanta while Max Allegri joined Juventus.
The exception proves instructive. Cesc Fabregas' Como revolution, culminating in their Champions League qualification earlier this year, demonstrated what can happen when novel tactical concepts break the established cycle. Similarly, Ruben Amorim's arrival at AC Milan has introduced eye-catching football to the Rossoneri.
A new generation emerges
Yet signs of potential renewal are beginning to surface. Mancini's first squad back contained encouraging surprises, with nine uncapped players included in a 34-player roster, alongside 11 players under the age of 23.
The new cohort includes Borussia Dortmund's 18-year-old striker Samuele Inacio, Chelsea-bound defender Honest Ahanor (currently at Crystal Palace), and Brentford's Michael Kayode. The nine uncapped players named were Massimo Pessina, Daniele Ghilardi, Michael Kayode, Eddy Kouadio, Alessandro Romano, Issa Doumbia, Sebastiano Esposito, Antonio Vergara and Mohamed Alì Zoma.
Alongside Inacio and highly-rated Inter forward Pio Esposito - who has scored five goals in nine Italy caps - the squad includes FC Nurnberg's Mohamed Alì Zoma, who has netted 20 goals in 36 appearances in the German second division. Issa Doumbia has emerged as a key player at Sporting CP this season.
Donnarumma outlined the philosophy underpinning the squad construction.
There will certainly be some established players. We're getting older, but we're still young, and there will also be some very young players joining the team. So it will be a mixture, and we need to help these young players integrate well. They can give us a great deal of help. They're certainly talented players who need to play and gain experience, but I'm sure Italy will return to where it belongs.
The immediate challenge
Italy face a formidable Nations League group comprising Belgium, Turkey and France - a highly competitive Group A that offers little margin for error. Mancini has already begun setting the tone for Italy's revamped camp ahead of the Nations League opener, signalling a decisive break with the past.
For a nation that has languished in darkness for so long, the spark of renewal is desperately needed. The road back to prominence begins immediately.
What happens next
Italy's Nations League campaign commences with a home fixture against Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico on 25 September 2026. They then travel to Turkey on 28 September 2026 before facing France away on 2 October 2026. These three matches will provide the first real test of Mancini's rebuilding project and offer early indicators of whether this new generation can restore Italian football to its former standing.
