Veteran Italian manager Fabio Capello lamented his country’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, admitting he had been unable to sleep all night.
Italy once again failed to break their World Cup qualification jinx, losing on penalties (4-1) away to Bosnia and Herzegovina following a 1-1 draw in Tuesday evening’s play-off final for the 2026 World Cup.
This means Italy have failed to qualify for the last three World Cups, following the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, leaving the Azzurri to wait another four years to return to the World Cup, whilst Bosnia and Herzegovina have qualified for the second time in their history.
Capello appeared deeply affected by the failure to qualify for the World Cup and did not hide his frustration at a situation he described as “unacceptable” for a historic and prestigious team like Italy.
The former manager admitted: “I couldn’t sleep all night; I still can’t believe what happened.”
He added in comments to the newspaper *Marca*: “We are talking about a team that has won the World Cup four times; it is a sporting tragedy and a disgrace. It is one of the worst events Italian football has witnessed in its modern history.”
Capello also levelled direct criticism at officials within Italian football’s governing bodies, calling for urgent changes to the structure of Italian football.
He stated: “No one here is going to resign, and that is the most worrying thing. The first person who must take responsibility is the president of the federation, along with the entire management team.”
Capello outlined a plan to reform Italian football, saying: “We need to bring together experts, analyse the current situation, and start rebuilding the team from scratch. The problem is not just about results; it is a structural problem,” emphasising the importance of investing in youth development.
He continued: “Recovering from this will be extremely difficult, but I am confident it will help kick-start a genuine renewal. Italy needs to rediscover itself.”
Capello concluded by saying: “Italy is in mourning. For a country so passionate about football, missing out on the World Cup for the third time is extremely hard to accept.”
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