Missing World Cup 2026: Why is Italy so bad at football recently?

Italy were once regarded as one of football’s dominant forces, winning the World Cup four times and building a reputation as one of the sport’s most feared nations. However, the Azzurri will not be part of the 2026 World Cup in North America after suffering a heartbreaking playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties. It marks the third straight World Cup that Italy have failed to reach, a statistic that would once have seemed unimaginable for a country of such footballing pedigree.

What makes the decline even more alarming is the level of talent still available to the national team. Italy continues to rely on players from leading European clubs such as Inter Milan, Juventus and Manchester City, yet the results on the international stage have continued to disappoint. The problems clearly run deeper than individual quality, raising serious questions about the overall direction of Italian football.

So why is Italy so bad at football in recent years? In this article, Soccer24 will reveal the answer.

Why is Italy so bad at football recently?

The most glaring issue is the absence of a genuine number nine. Historically, the Azzurri were never short of predators in the box - Vieri, Totti, Del Piero, Luca Toni. That lineage has simply died out. Ciro Immobile plundered goals for Lazio season after season, yet consistently flattered to deceive in an Italy shirt. His successors, Scamacca and Retegui, are decent enough footballers but "decent enough" does not cut it at international level. Part of the blame lies with Italy's "Decreto Crescita" tax incentives, which for years encouraged clubs to recruit foreign players on the cheap rather than nurturing homegrown strikers through the academy system.

Serie A's structural decay compounds the problem. Young Italians are routinely farmed out on loan to the lower divisions, burning through their developmental years in Serie B and C. Meanwhile, crumbling municipally-owned stadiums bleed clubs dry of the revenue needed to build world-class academies.

Then there is the tactical identity crisis. The Euro 2020 triumph papered over fundamental cracks, a team transitioning away from its Catenaccio roots toward a possession-heavy model, yet lacking the Pirlo-esque playmakers or dynamic wide forwards to make it work. The retirement of Chiellini and Bonucci removed not just quality, but the defensive mentality that once made Italy virtually unbeatable.

Top 5 Italy’s highest value players

5. Federico Dimarco - €50.00m

Valued at €50 million, Dimarco consistently features among the five most prized Italian players on the market - a reflection of just how integral he has become to both club and country.

What sets him apart is that he bears little resemblance to a conventional fullback. The left side of the pitch is essentially his creative territory, built around a left foot that opponents simply cannot ignore. His deliveries into the box draw frequent comparisons to David Beckham - the ball dips late, arrives with genuine pace, and gives defenders almost no time to adjust. It is the kind of delivery that strikers dream of running onto.

4. Nicolò Barella - €50.00m 

If there is one player who makes Italy tick, it is Nicolò Barella. The Sardinian midfielder is the heartbeat of both Inter Milan and the Azzurri - when he is on form, everything around him functions; when he is absent, the cracks show almost immediately.

His trophy cabinet speaks for itself. Two Scudetti with Inter, in 2020/21 and 2023/24, alongside a Euro 2020 winner's medal with the national side. For a midfielder still in his prime, that is a CV that demands respect across European football.

3. Riccardo Calafiori - €50.00m 

Few players better embody Italian football's quiet resurgence than Riccardo Calafiori. The 23-year-old has travelled a long road from the Roma academy to becoming one of the most coveted defenders in European football, currently valued at €50 million.

This season has been his most convincing yet. At Arsenal, he has cemented himself as a regular starter under Mikel Arteta, helping the Gunners reach the Champions League final while pushing hard for the Premier League title. What makes him so valuable to Arteta is his positional flexibility - Calafiori is equally composed operating as a left-back or stepping inside as a ball-playing centre-back, giving his manager genuine tactical options that few defenders at his age can offer.

2. Alessandro Bastoni - €70.00m 

At €70 million, Alessandro Bastoni is the most expensive Italian defender in the game right now - and the statistics suggest that price tag is entirely justified.

The Inter Milan centre-back has earned Serie A's Team of the Year on multiple occasions, and in 2022/23 he went the distance in the Champions League, only for Inter to fall short in the final against Manchester City. His consistency at the highest level has been remarkable.

For the Azzurri, his importance goes beyond mere quality. Since Chiellini and Bonucci called time on their international careers, Bastoni has quietly assumed the role of defensive anchor - the player the backline organises itself around.

1. Sandro Tonali - €80.00m 

Sandro Tonali's story is one of the more extraordinary in modern football. Written off by many during his well-documented personal difficulties, the Newcastle midfielder has fought his way back to become the single most valuable Italian player in the world, with his market worth sitting at €80 million.

That figure is not sentiment - it is a reflection of what he actually does on a football pitch. In the Premier League, he has established himself as genuinely difficult to replace, the kind of midfielder who controls tempo, wins the ball back, and makes those around him function better. For Italy, the expectation is similarly straightforward: build the midfield around him.

Top 5 Italy’s highest value players

5. Federico Dimarco - €50.00m

4. Nicolò Barella - €50.00m 

3. Riccardo Calafiori - €50.00m 

2. Alessandro Bastoni - €70.00m 

1. Sandro Tonali - €80.00m 

Soccer24.net has answered the question: “Why is Italy so bad at football recently?” while also listing the top 5 Italy’s highest value players.

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