Italy are asking a question it should not still have to ask: are Italy in the World Cup 2026? The answer, for now, is no. The Azzurri have missed three World Cups in a row, a run that has turned a familiar qualification hurdle into a deeper problem for one of football’s most decorated national sides.
That is why the name Simone Pafundi keeps surfacing. Roberto Mancini said Pafundi was the first name on his call-up list, a line that cuts through the usual talk about rebuilding and patience. It also explains why so many Italian supporters are looking at the next generation and wondering whether the future can arrive fast enough to end the wait.
Italy’s failure matters because it sits in stark contrast to the country’s record elsewhere. Italian national teams keep producing winners and finalists at various age levels, a stream of success that suggests the talent is there. Yet that promise has not translated to the biggest stage, where qualification for international football’s marquee event has started to feel less like a target and more like a mirage.
The disconnect is what makes Pafundi such a useful symbol. Mancini’s willingness to put him first on the list pointed to a coach trying to trust young players before they become safe selections. The argument behind that approach is simple: Italy needs to cherish its young players more and have more faith in them if it wants to get back to the World Cup.
That leaves the central problem untouched. Italy can keep pointing to youth success, and it can keep elevating prospects such as Pafundi, but none of that changes the fact that the senior side has already watched three tournaments pass by. Until that gap closes, the question around are italy in the world cup 2026 will remain the same answer, and the uncertainty will sit over every discussion about the national team’s next move.
