Football-mad Italy must scale Bosnia mountain to return to World Cup finals

[SINGAPORE] It still boggles the mind that Italy – the proud four-time winners of the Fifa World Cup – have not featured in football’s most prestigious tournament since they were bundled out after the first hurdle 12 years ago.

Long-suffering Italian fans couldn’t quite believe their eyes when the Azzurri finished second from bottom in their group at the 2014 World Cup in Germany, which sent the team on a much earlier-than-expected flight home.

Italy has never had a proper chance to make up for that embarrassment, as things went from bad to worse as they somehow failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 competitions as well. (They did, however, redeem themselves somewhat by winning the pandemic-delayed European Championships in 2021.)

To cut a long story short: Italy has not won a single World Cup match since they lifted the trophy in 2006, having also crashed out of the group stage in 2010. 

Fast forward to 2026 and, with the next World Cup kicking off in a little over six weeks’ time, the Italians have still not confirmed their spot in the 48-nation showpiece that will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

Unthinkable prospect

To many football fans, even the neutrals, it’s unthinkable that Italy – now coached by former player Gennaro Gattuso, who was part of the championship-winning team in 2006 – won’t make it to the World Cup for a third consecutive time.

Gattuso, a 48-year-old who was appointed last year, has to guide his players to two play-off wins to do so, and he achieved the first step as Italy laboured to a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland on Thursday (Mar 26) in Bergamo.

After a cagey and goalless first half inside a packed 23,000-seater stadium, it was Sandro Tonali who calmed the nerves with a breakthrough goal just before the hour mark. He then provided the assist for Moise Kean to double the advantage 10 minutes from full time.

Next up for Italy is a winner-take-all final on Tuesday night against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the latter enjoying home advantage at the imposing Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica.

SEE ALSO

Golf’s Singapore Open returns with The Business Times as new presenting partner

From the boardroom to the greens: ST and BT Corporate Golf League brings the business community together

World Cup ‘too big’ to be postponed by Middle East conflict: Fifa COO

The Fifa World Cup is supposed to inspire hope and unity. This one feels different

More

It’s a difficult venue to play in as it is fairly small by international standards with just 15,600 seats. Crucially, Bosnia have only lost one of their last five matches at home.

The Bosnian attack will once again be led by 40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, the former Manchester City player who scored the late equaliser in the draw with Wales on Thursday. Bosnia eventually triumphed after a penalty shootout to book this showdown against the Italians.

For Gattuso, he knows exactly what’s at stake, and that’s to attain victory at all costs. Lose in Zenica and he could well face the sack, while his players will surely have to deal with a fiery reception from irate supporters upon their return home.

“We have to win. We have no other choice,” said Gattuso after the win over Northern Ireland. “We have taken a little step forward, and now we have to climb the mountain – the Everest. We know that there’s a lot at stake. I think everyone had some butterflies today, and that’s understandable. I had them too.”

In his own words, Gattuso is no longer interested in his team’s performance, only the final result. That’s all that matters to him, and his country’s nearly 59 million citizens who will all be rooting their under-pressure team to deliver the win on Tuesday.

Finals line-up taking shape

The three host nations qualified automatically for the World Cup finals, with 39 others already qualified. The final six places will be decided in the coming days, with four of those to be taken by European teams.

Apart from Italy and Bosnia, there are six other European teams still in the running. Sweden will play Poland, the Czech Republic will face Denmark, and Kosovo will square off against Turkey.

The other two spots will be filled from football’s other confederations. On Tuesday, Iraq is set to play Bolivia, while Congo is ready to face Jamaica, with the winners of these two games advancing to the finals.

The World Cup kicks off on Jun 11 with the opening match between host nation Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico. There will be a total of 104 matches played over 39 days to determine the next champion.