The Azzurri’s World Cup drought continues.
Bosnia and Herzegovina stunned Italy 1-1 (4-1 on penalties) in Zenica on Tuesday to emerge from UEFA Pathway A and claim a spot in Group B in this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
It marks Sergej Barbarez’s squad’s first-ever appearance at the tournament. They will now open their tournament against hosts Canada on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto. Switzerland and Qatar are the other two teams in the group.
For Italy, it’s a third consecutive missed World Cup after having previously missed out just once in the prior 19 tournaments. The Azzurri’s failure to earn passage to North America this summer is a massive disappointment for the sizable diaspora on the continent and, in particular, the large Italian community in Toronto.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has never faced off with Canada before.