Italy’s World Cup Curse Strikes Again After Another Painful Exit

Intermediate | April 5, 2026

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Italy Misses the World Cup Again

Italy has done it again—but this time, sadly, for all the wrong reasons. Reuters reported that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third straight time after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a playoff. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, but Bosnia won the penalty shootout 4-1. For a country that has won the World Cup four times, this was a brutal result. (Reuters, AP News)

A Match That Slipped Away

Italy actually started well. Moise Kean scored early and gave fans hope that the team might finally break its awful World Cup pattern. But the match changed after defender Alessandro Bastoni was shown a red card, leaving Italy with 10 men. Bosnia kept fighting, found a late equalizer through Haris Tabakovic, and then stayed calm in the shootout while Italy fell apart. (Reuters, AP News)

Why This Feels So Heavy

This defeat hurt more than a normal loss. Reuters noted that Italy has not played in a World Cup since 2014 and has won only one match at the finals since lifting the trophy in 2006. That is a shocking drought for one of football’s most famous nations. In simple terms, younger Italian fans are growing up without seeing their team on the biggest stage in the sport. That is a painful thought in a country where football is almost a second religion. (Reuters)

Italy World Cup Curse Sparks Anger and Sadness

After the match, the reaction in Italy was intense. Reuters said newspapers called the situation a “World Cup curse”, while politicians and fans demanded big changes. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said the country needed to rebuild from the ground up. Many critics also targeted football leaders, asking whether the whole system—from youth development to league structure—needs serious reform. (Reuters, Reuters)

Tears, Pressure, and a Long Rebuild

Captain Gianluigi Donnarumma spoke emotionally after the loss and said the team had to accept responsibility. Reuters later reported that the fallout did not stop with the players. Coach Gennaro Gattuso resigned after the defeat, and federation president Gabriele Gravina also stepped down. That shows just how serious this failure feels in Italy. This is no small bump in the road. It looks more like a full-blown football crisis. (Reuters, Reuters)

Bosnia Celebrates While Italy Looks Inward

While Italy was left in tears, Bosnia celebrated a historic moment. AP reported that Bosnia reached the World Cup for the first time since 2014. That makes the story even more dramatic. One team was making history, while the other was trapped in a nightmare it cannot seem to escape. For Italy now, the big question is simple: how do you fix a football giant that keeps missing football’s biggest tournament? (AP News)

Vocabulary

playoff (noun) – an extra match or series of matches to decide who qualifies.
Example: Italy lost the playoff and missed the World Cup again.
shootout (noun) – a penalty competition used to decide a tied football match.
Example: Bosnia won the shootout 4-1 after extra time.
equalizer (noun) – a goal that makes the score level.
Example: Bosnia scored a late equalizer to keep their hopes alive.
drought (noun) – a long period without success.
Example: Italy’s World Cup drought now stretches back to 2014.
curse (noun) – something believed to bring repeated bad luck.
Example: Many newspapers described the situation as a World Cup curse.
rebuild (verb) – to create something strong again after failure or damage.
Example: Italy may need years to rebuild its football system.
fallout (noun) – the negative results after a bad event.
Example: The fallout from the defeat included major resignations.
infrastructure (noun) – the basic systems and facilities needed for something to work well.
Example: Some critics say poor football infrastructure is part of the problem.
historic (adjective) – important and likely to be remembered.
Example: It was a historic win for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
crisis (noun) – a serious and difficult situation.
Example: Many fans believe Italian football is now in crisis.

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

Why was this defeat especially painful for Italy?
How did the match change after Bastoni’s red card?
Why are so many people calling this a crisis instead of just a bad result?
What do the resignations after the match tell us about the pressure inside Italian football?
Why was this victory so important for Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

Why do some famous football nations suddenly struggle for many years?
How important is youth development to long-term success in sports?
Should football leaders resign after a major failure like this? Why or why not?
Why do sports results affect national emotions so strongly in some countries?
What is harder to fix: a bad team, a bad system, or a bad mindset?

Related Idiom

“Back to the drawing board” – to start again because a plan has failed.

Example: After another World Cup disaster, Italy may have to go back to the drawing board.

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This article was inspired by: Reuters, AP News, Reuters, Reuters, and Reuters