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Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup but FIFA's answer to a big problem could open the door to a reprieve
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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Five times a week Four Four Two Daily Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Once a week . .. And it’s LIVE! Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Italy's play-off loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina condemned the Azzurri to a third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup. World Cup 2026 is only the fourth time Italy have failed to qualify, and not making the cut for an expanded tournament with 48 teams is an embarrassment for a nation that's won the World Cup four times. Italy came up against 16-goal Erling Haaland and Norway in their qualifying group and won all their other games, just about, but a play-off win over Northern Ireland was followed by a final defeat on penalties and the end of Gennaro Gattuso's time in charge.
World Cup 2026 is mired in a geopolitical situation of its own making, with one of the host nations waging war on one of the qualifiers and actively hostile to the idea of visiting supporters leaving the tournament unmolested by armed goons. Unlike Italy, Iran qualified comfortably for the World Cup. Yet the idea of their matches being played in the United States while direct conflict continues in the Middle East is perverse, and by no means a certainty. A post shared by Gianni Infantino - FIFA President (@gianni_infantino) A photo posted by on It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Iran's authorities elect to withdraw their team from the World Cup or even that Donald Trump makes a play to block their involvement. That FIFA would be in no position to do anything about that is shameful and FIFA president Gianni Infantino's nauseating proximity to the White House will become a case study in how not to keep politics out of football. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. There will also be practical implications if Iran won't or can't play their World Cup matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in the summer. All three Group G fixtures are scheduled to be played in the United States. According to The Athletic via RMC Sport, a possible solution is a play-off bracket for the outstanding place in Group G and group stage matches at So Fi Stadium and Lumen Field. "Discussions within FIFA are considering organizing a last-minute intercontinental playoff if Iran withdraws, " reports RMC Sport. "This playoff would consist of two teams from the AFC (Asian Football Federation) and two UEFA teams from among those that did not qualify.
"Given its world ranking, Italy would be an almost inevitable option to be part of one of the two UEFA zone teams. " Italy moved up to 12th place in the most recent FIFA World Rankings, making them the ninth-highest team in the UEFA confederation and the highest of those who failed to qualify. On that basis, the second UEFA team involved in the theoretical play-offs would be Denmark. Chris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J. League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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