Italy has failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups in 2018 and 2022 and its current performances don’t paint a hopeful picture too.

Only the group winners qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while runners-up must go through the playoff, precisely what happened to the Azzurri the last two times they tried to get a pass for the competition.

Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway as the four-time champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign Friday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia.