‘The World Cup curse’ – Italy sheds tears after missing out againItaly woke up angry and disillusioned on Wednesday after the national team missed out on the World Cup for the third time in a row by losing a playoff to Bosnia, prolonging a sporting nightmare for the soccer-mad country. Headlines in La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, the country’s two main sports newspapers, both said “We’re all staying at home”, in reference to another summer without a World Cup. “The Azzurri” last qualified for the World Cup finals in 2014, where Bosnia made their only previous appearance at the tournament. Gravina said an assessment of his position would be made at a federal council meeting scheduled to take place next week. Italy went down to 10 men in the 42nd minute with Alessandro Bastoni punished for a late last-man tackle, a key turning point in the match with Italy leading at the time.

Source: Daily Nation April 01, 2026 18:17 UTC