Twice toppled, twice scarred—Italy’s very soul has felt the weight of consecutive World Cup absences. For a nation where football pulses through every piazza and neighborhood bar, the stark, inescapable gravity of 2018 and 2022’s failures stands as a generational wound. The numbers say it all: since 1958, Italy had always been present—until, in back-to-back qualifying campaigns, Sweden and North Macedonia unceremoniously slammed the door shut.
Twelve years vanishing from the spotlight—that is the specter chasing Gennaro Gattuso’s squad in their mission for North America 2026. Qualification has proven anything but routine. The 3-0 defeat to Norway was not just a bad day at the office—it was a humiliating signal flare that forced the Italian Football Federation to pull the plug on Luciano Spalletti’s brief reign and hand the keys to Gattuso, a manager whose own veins practically bleed Azzurro thunder. Now, Italy balances on a knife’s edge, craving redemption, facing perhaps its greatest test since Calciopoli.
But football scripts are written in moments by players who seize them. If Italy are to return to the World Cup, these three stars must compose the story’s next, triumphant act.
Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori Italy EPA-EFE/DAVIDE CASENTINI
He is not just a defender—he is the new face of Italian ambition at the back. Riccardo Calafiori, 23, leapt onto the international radar with his fearless Euro 2024 displays, drawing headlines for his blend of defensive brawn and attacking elegance. He made 60+ successful passes per 90 minutes that summer, even providing a lung-busting assist for Mattia Zaccagni’s 98th-minute equalizer against Croatia, which sent the Italians through.
His efforts in Germany last summer prompted Arsenal to pursue, and ultimately secure, his signature. The former Bologna man was snapped up in a bid to halt the progress of arguably the best soccer team ever assembled, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. But while the Gunners did ultimately finish ahead of the Blues last season, they still missed out on the Premier League title at the hands of a rampant Liverpool.
Calafiori missed much of last term with an injury, but now he is fully recovered and ready to take on a starring role for both club and country, hopefully creating some of the best soccer moments we’ve ever seen. Calm under siege, bold in transition, the 23-year-old is the one who can launch Italy forward from deep—his progressive carries and visionary switches split lines, spark attacks, and stretch the opposition.
In a single move, he morphs from rock-solid sentry to midfield conduit, giving Gattuso both tactical flexibility and a modern anchor for his backline. Italy’s evolution away from conservative rigidity depends on Calafiori’s willingness to take risks, inject tempo, and radiate confidence.
Gianluigi Donnarumma
DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 23: Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy looks dejected after Tim Kleindienst of Germany (not pictured) scores his team’s second goal during the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Leg Two match between Germany and Italy at Football Stadium Dortmund on March 23, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Some goalkeepers exude calm. Gianluigi Donnarumma radiates a gravity that shapes games. Still only 26, the Paris Saint-Germain stalwart has already tallied 60+ caps, international player-of-the-tournament honors, and a highlight reel of saves that would make Dino Zoff nod with approval.
His exploits in his first major tournament at UEFA Euro 2020 saw him lead Italy to glory, making two saves in the final shootout against hosts England at Wembley, much to the dismay of the partisan English crowd. But for all his brilliance, Gigio is yet to even set foot on the FIFA World Cup stage.
⚽️⚡️SOCCER FLASH-BACK!
🇮🇹 defeats 🏴 on penalties at Wembley Stadium to win the Euro Championship! 🏆
Italy are +2500 to win the World Cup next summer 🤑
pic.twitter.com/c32H0AKEU2
— Bodog (@BodogCA) July 11, 2025
What does Italy lean on in a crisis? Their brick wall of a goalkeeper. Donnarumma’s save percentage in qualifying hovers above 75%, and he has rescued Italy with nine clean sheets in his last 15 competitive matches. But in the cauldron of qualifying tension—the very arena that twice saw Italy humbled—his presence becomes like psychological armor. When Norway ran riot and the line was breached, it was Donnarumma alone who kept the score from ballooning into a historic rout.
Nicolò Barella
FLORENCE, ITALY – JUNE 08: Nicolo Barella of Italy poses for a portrait during the Italy portrait session ahead of the UEFA EURO 2024 Germany at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on June 08, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
In every contender’s midfield, there is a heart. For Italy, it beats as Nicolò Barella, the relentless 28-year-old dynamo whose Inter Milan success has translated, emphatically, onto the Azzurri stage. His statistics dazzle: first among all Italian midfielders for key passes, distance covered, and recoveries; over 11 kilometers run per 90 minutes; and a pass completion rate of 87%. He was one of the stars of the show as the Nerazzurri reached the Champions League final last term, just as he has been so many times since he moved to the San Siro six years ago.
But statistics alone can’t capture what makes Barella essential. He is the emotional accelerant—snapping into tackles, threading through-balls during gridlocked matches, forcing errors with determined presses. In matches where Italy have been stymied—when the opposing box becomes a locked vault—Barella is often the player to pick the lock. His ability to dictate tempo and burst past a man makes him irreplaceable as Italy seek to break packed defenses, particularly when nerves run high and margins are perilously thin.
Barella’s leadership is equally crucial. Now considered one of the Azzurri’s senior players with 63 caps to his name, he is a trusted voice in the dressing room. The 28-year-old will have to drive his team forward and urge his teammates to their intensity during adversity. If the last two qualifying campaigns are anything to go by, it’s a quality that will prove priceless if Italy’s fate, yet again, comes down to one win-or-bust night.
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