Italy may be a baseball country, but it has fallen far from the soccer powerhouse it once was.
The Italians failed to qualify for their third straight World Cup on Tuesday after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty-kick shootout in the European playoffs, making Italy the first World Cup-winning nation to miss three consecutive tournaments.
“We still don’t believe it — that we’re out and that it happened in this manner,” Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola told reporters. “It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
The two European nations played to a 1-1 draw before Italy fell 4-1 in the penalty shootout, with Wisconsin-born Esmir Bajraktarevic scoring the spot kick that sealed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s win.
Striker Moise Kean had given Italy a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, but the Italians were forced to play with 10 men after center back Alessandro Bastoni was given a red card just before halftime. Bosnia took advantage in the second half after sub Haris Tabakovic evened the score at 1-1 in the 79th minute.
Italy had been a mainstay in the World Cup for more than half a century, appearing in every tournament from 1962 to 2014 and remaining one of just three countries to have won soccer’s biggest tournament four times.
Italy last won a World Cup title in 2006, defeating France in a penalty shootout, but things have trended downward since. The Italians were knocked out in the group stage in 2010 and 2014.
They failed to make the tournament at all in 2018 and 2022, eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia in the qualifiers.