Four-time champions become the first World Cup winners in history to miss three consecutive tournaments.
Esmir Bajraktarevic buries the decisive penalty. Italian players collapse to the turf. Italy’s World Cup dream is dead—for the third time running.
March 31 in Bosnia. Moise Kean curled Italy ahead in the 15th minute. Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th. Then the turning point—Alessandro Bastoni saw red for a professional foul, leaving Italy with 10 men. After extra time, penalties.
Bosnia scored all four of their penalties. Italy? Only Sandro Tonali found the net. Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante both missed. Final score: 4-1 Bosnia. Done.
Italy is now the first World Cup-winning nation to miss three straight tournaments. 2018: shut out by Sweden. 2022: stunned by North Macedonia on a 92nd-minute goal despite 32 shots to 4. 2026: penalty heartbreak against Bosnia. An entire generation of Italian kids has never seen their country at a World Cup.
Coach Gennaro Gattuso apologized publicly, saying his players “didn’t deserve such a defeat.” He went silent on his future. La Gazzetta dello Sport branded it the “Third Apocalypse.” Defender Leonardo Spinazzola said it hurts most “for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
The 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada will be the biggest ever with 48 teams. Italy—four-time champions—won’t be there. The question now isn’t what happened. It’s whether Italian football can find its way back.
