World Cup Qualifiers: Bosnia eliminates Italy as Czechia shocks Denmark

Italy miss out on 2026 World Cup after shock playoff loss to Bosnia: third consecutive absence for four-time champions, Gattuso under pressure.

Agony! Italy players rue missed opportunities after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties on Tuesday in a keenly contested playoff in Zenica. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

The Azurri of Italy will not be flying their flags in North America this summer after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time after a shock loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday in Zenica.

With the loss, Italy becomes the first former champions to miss out on three straight World Cups, with none of the team's current players ever having participated. 2014 was the last time the 4-time champions appeared at the biggest stage of world football.

Fiorentina striker Moise Kean scored early for Italy before center back Alessandro Bastoni got sent off with a direct red card before the break, and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th minute to take the game into extra time.

With the score 1-1 and Italy down to 10 players, neither team scored in the 30 added minutes. In the shootout, Inter Milan's Pio Esposito and Roma's Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks, and Bosnia's Esmir Bajraktarevic converted the decisive penalty for Bosnia.

"We still don't believe it—that we're out and that it happened in this manner," Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola said. "It's upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup."

The defeat added more misery for Italy's once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the past two World Cups and after last winning a knockout round game in 2006 against France in the final.

In Tuesday's other European playoff finals, Sweden and Turkey both qualified. Sweden beat Robert Lewandowski's Poland 3-2, and Turkey beat brave Kosovo 1-0. Czechia also qualified after beating Denmark in a shootout.

The latest ouster for Italy means that the 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer's biggest event. Italy's World Cup struggles date to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions. Italy did win the European Championship in 2021.

Bosnia will play at a second World Cup following their debut in 2014 and will be in Group B at this summer's tournament alongside co-host Canada, 2022 hosts Qatar, and Switzerland.

Italy's defeat will raise questions about the status of coach Gennaro Gattuso, who took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June with the squad already in crisis mode following a defeat at Norway in its opening qualifier.

"I want to personally apologize since we didn't make it," Gattuso said. "Today, talking about my future is not important. Today it was important to get to the World Cup."

On paper, it was a massive mismatch between 12th-ranked Italy and Bosnia, which is ranked 54 places below by FIFA. Italy has a population of nearly 60 million. Bosnia's is about 3.5 million.