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2026 UEFA WC Qualification

Can’t believe I fell asleep. But wow, how crazy! Italy miss a third straight World Cup. Who woulda thought Curaçao would qualify but not Italy?!
 
Surely this loss is a wake-up call for Antonio Arena, Gianluca Okon, Cristian Volpato and any other Aussie playing for Italy. It’s very clear that the Socceroos are pretty solidified as a World Cup team (especially given the expansions), but the Azzurri aren’t anymore.
 
Beretta said:
16 years total till next one.

but hey, who knows if ill ever see them again the WC, fifa needs to expand to 64 teams.
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I know man, but talk about not only sticking the knife in but twisting it around a few times... hahahahahahaha

Just made me laugh thats all.
 
It’s crazy to think kids would have not seen Italy ever at a World Cup and you tell them they won the world cup 4 times they would not believe it…

If this is a not a wake up for Italian football then I don’t know what it is, they should be learning from the likes of Germany, France, England and even Belgium etc who completely changed their youth development systems to turn themselves into elite nations in football of today.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
Surely this loss is a wake-up call for Antonio Arena, Gianluca Okon, Cristian Volpato and any other Aussie playing for Italy. It’s very clear that the Socceroos are pretty solidified as a World Cup team (especially given the expansions), but the Azzurri aren’t anymore.
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They would be daft to wait for Italy, when Australia has been in every World Cup since the last time Italy even won it, but it’s their choice so who cares now lol
 
HonestSpursFan said:
Can’t believe I fell asleep. But wow, how crazy! Italy miss a third straight World Cup. Who woulda thought Curaçao would qualify but not Italy?!
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They're qualifying route is considerably easier. ;) It's interesting that Italy only lost one game during their whole qualifying process and here we are. I'll refain from taking the piss out of my lovely wife's relo's, for a little while anyway.....
 
erogenouszone said:
They're qualifying route is considerably easier. ;) It's interesting that Italy only lost one game during their whole qualifying process and here we are. I'll refain from taking the piss out of my lovely wife's relo's, for a little while anyway.....
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They got hammered twice by Norway and defeated 3 teams that have never qualified and one that hasn't made it for over 50 years
 
erogenouszone said:
They're qualifying route is considerably easier. ;) It's interesting that Italy only lost one game during their whole qualifying process and here we are. I'll refain from taking the piss out of my lovely wife's relo's, for a little while anyway.....
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rightly said, no excuse's how it goes thats football.
Yep Norway 2 legs lost 7-1 !
Astounds me they have fallen this far - watching once down to 10 they were up a creek without a paddle despite the fight.
The pen takes deserved the loss - woeful.
 
I can see economic side effects as well. If Italy was in the world cup you'd have millions of people having parties, going to bars and clubs to watch the game, town square gatherings with all of the stalls and merch and food and what not. Now there is going to be none of that. If I was Italian i wouldn't even bother watching the tournament at all, what's the point. In many ways of Brazil getting destroyed by Germany 7-1 in the 2014 World Cup at home, the country literally has not recovered from that nor have the players. I can see many parallels here.
 
erogenouszone said:
I can see economic side effects as well. If Italy was in the world cup you'd have millions of people having parties, going to bars and clubs to watch the game, town square gatherings with all of the stalls and merch and food and what not. Now there is going to be none of that. If I was Italian i wouldn't even bother watching the tournament at all, what's the point. In many ways of Brazil getting destroyed by Germany 7-1 in the 2014 World Cup at home, the country literally has not recovered from that nor have the players. I can see many parallels here.
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Good football should be brutal. Unlucky buying success in club football I like to think international games are the peak of sporting achievements
 
erogenouszone said:
I can see economic side effects as well. If Italy was in the world cup you'd have millions of people having parties, going to bars and clubs to watch the game, town square gatherings with all of the stalls and merch and food and what not. Now there is going to be none of that. If I was Italian i wouldn't even bother watching the tournament at all, what's the point. In many ways of Brazil getting destroyed by Germany 7-1 in the 2014 World Cup at home, the country literally has not recovered from that nor have the players. I can see many parallels here.
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yer I feel for Brazil as well.
They also have suffered economically and reading sometime back the countless new development residential areas took away the countless playing areas kids used to hone their crafts (small sided games) the heydays developed.
Academies grew and obviously the very low income fam's can't afford that unless their kid is plucked out of the blue.
Also like Italy they haven't changed their ways the modern game has evolved to.
Sad TBH.

Check out the AI overview of Italy issues....and got to say have watched it happenning over the decades, absolute screw up typically messy Italians.
The massive $'s Juve paid for CR7 - as good as it was was just another cover up over the countless huge cracks.
Headlines hide alot.

Italian soccer (calcio) has experienced a long-term decline from its peak in the 1990s and early 2000s due to a combination of severe financial mismanagement, outdated infrastructure, the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, and a failure to adapt to the faster, more commercialized modern game
. While the national team won Euro 2020 and some clubs have made recent European final appearances, the league as a whole has lagged behind the Premier League and La Liga in revenue, marketing, and global competitiveness.
Key reasons for the decline include:
  • Financial Instability and Reduced Revenue: Italian clubs have significantly lower revenue compared to English counterparts, partly due to smaller television deals and lower commercial income. This lack of revenue forced many clubs to sell their top talents to foreign leagues rather than investing in new stars.
  • Outdated Stadiums and Poor Infrastructure: Most Italian stadiums are owned by municipalities, not the clubs, leading to lower matchday revenue, poorer fan experiences, and reduced safety. Juventus is a notable exception, as owning their stadium fueled their dominance.
  • The Calciopoli Scandal (2006): The massive match-fixing scandal severely damaged the reputation of Serie A, led to Juventus's relegation, and caused a mass exodus of elite players, which severely impacted the league’s global image.
  • Lack of Youth Development and Trust: There has been an over-reliance on older, often foreign players rather than nurturing domestic young talent, which hindered both club development and the national team, contributing to failures in qualifying for World Cups.
  • Tactical Stagnation: While other leagues adopted high-intensity, attacking, and faster styles of play, Serie A often remained focused on tactical, defensive, and slower models, making it difficult for teams to compete at the highest European level.
  • Governance and Management: Persistent political, structural, and leadership issues within the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Serie A clubs have hindered necessary changes to the modern sports economy.
In recent years, foreign investors—largely from the United States—have entered the league, bringing new, modernized management approaches to try to turn around the fortunes of Italian clubs.
 
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