Italy couldn’t, could it?
That was the thought process for most soccer fans as Italy headed on the road to face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The task at hand was simple. Win and you’re in. For a team like Italy, previous painful experiences and a roster with more quality should’ve prevented history from repeating itself.
But soccer doesn’t always work that way. The sport is extremely unpredictable, and that’s why games like this are not played on paper or on data sheets.
After 120 minutes and a penalty shootout, Italy did the unthinkable (depending on who you ask, at this point). The Azzurri fell to Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in penalties after tying 1-1 in regulation.
That means one of the world’s greatest soccer powerhouses will once again not be in the most prestigious tournament any sport can offer.
Moise Kean opened the scoring in the 15th minute and Italy looked to be on the road to North America. But a reckless challenge by center-back Alessandro Bastoni saw him receive a red card just before halftime.
It was all Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second half, despite some key transition opportunities for Italy, most notably Kean blasting one just over the crossbar.
After multiple waves of pressure, Haris Tabakovic pounced in the 79th minute to equalize, eventually resulting in the shootout.
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Benjamin Tahirovic put the Bosnians up 1-0 first. Italy sent young substitute striker Pio Esposito to respond, but he went over the crossbar.
Tabakovic made it 2-0 before star midfielder Sandro Tonali cooled things down with a conversion. But after 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic drilled one to make it 3-1, veteran midfielder Bryan Cristante struck the crossbar.
With the weight of a country on his shoulders, 21-year-old Wisconsin native Esmir Bajraktarevic just rolled one through to seal an iconic moment. Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the best shot-stopping goalies in the world, didn’t record a single penalty save.
It’s Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second ever appearance in the tournament and its first since 2014.
As for Italy, four-time World Cup champions in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006, the 2026 omission will mark their third straight failed qualification.
That means they’ll go 16 years without an appearance. Even in 2010 and 2014 the Azzurri struggled to advance past the group stage, but that’s not as embarrassing as not even reaching the opportunity, especially in a newly expanded 48-team field.
The only other time Italy did not qualify for a World Cup was in 1958. But ever since winning in 2006, it has been nightmare after nightmare, despite easing concerns with the UEFA Euros 2021 triumph.
Players like Gianluigi Donnarumma, Bastoni, Tonali, Kean, Riccardo Calafiori, Nicolo Barella, Manuel Locatelli and more are some of the biggest names the sport has to offer.
But they will be missing from the grand spotlight once again as the nation continues to fall behind in a sport it once was a pioneer of. And that can lead into several alarming scenarios from a broader perspective.
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