Italy misses World Cup for third time in a row; Yet the impact of Serie A is enormous: 66 players, 3 Italian coaches in 2026
Even though Italy missed out on the World Cup for the third time in a row, Serie A is where the talent is emerging on the world stage. Along with 66 players, three Italian coaches like Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil), Vincenzo Montella (Turkey) and Fabio Cannavaro (Uzbekistan) are also going to lead the 2026 World Cup.
Despite Italy missing out on the World Cup for the third time in a row, the Italian league series continues its power to shape world football. The fact that the 2026 World Cup will feature a total of 66 players from Serie A makes the international importance of the league clear.
The coaches' case is equally strong. Three Italian coaches — Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil), Vincenzo Montella (Turkey), Fabio Cannavaro (Uzbekistan) — will lead their respective teams on the World Cup stage. Although the Azzurri have not qualified for a major tournament since 2014, the worldwide appeal of Italian football is evident in these numbers.
The impression of Italian players on foreign clubs is more profound. Gianluigi Donnarumma lifted the Champions League trophy with Paris Saint-Germain in the 2024-25 season; A few months later, he joined another European giant, Manchester City. Riccardo Calafiori has been instrumental in Arsenal's pursuit of their first league title in 22 years this season. Giovanni Leone moved to England in 2025 with a massive transfer to Liverpool; However, he was ruled out for the entire 2025-26 season due to a cruciate ligament injury sustained in the first match. Guglielmo Vicario and Destini Udogi won the Europa League in 2024-25. Mikel Kayode has developed into one of the top right-backs in the Premier League with Brentford.
Moreover, the support for the series at the domestic level continues with the same enthusiasm. With the release of the new 2026-27 season fixture list, discussions and predictions are heating up on the domestic stage as well.
Italy is progressing rapidly at the youth level as well. Italy won the Under-17 European Championship this summer. Interim head coach Silvio Baldini commented after taking charge for two friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece in June, "Our family Italy stands on some clear principles. Our young teams are constantly improving and winning trophies." He gave first chances to 19 out of 24 for those two matches. Baldini is expected to return to the under-21 side in September, while the FIGC will appoint a new head coach for the senior side.
All in all, without an Italian team, the 2026 World Cup will leave the imprint of Italian football. The talent coming out of Serie A, the better performances at foreign clubs, the success at the youth level — all these things together suggest that the future of Italian football is still bright.
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