ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Italy on penalties to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Zenica on March 31, 2026. The result eliminated Italy from qualifying for the expanded 48-team tournament, marking the third consecutive World Cup for which Italy failed to qualify.

The playoff match saw Bosnia and Herzegovina dominate with 30 shots, while Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made 10 saves to keep his team in the game through regulation and extra time. Italy had reached the playoff final by defeating Northern Ireland in a semifinal match.

Italy's failure to qualify continues a pattern that began after their most recent World Cup title in 2006. The team participated in every tournament from 1958 to 2014 but was knocked out of the group stage in both 2010 and 2014. Italy then failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and missed the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso, who was appointed in June 2025 after his predecessor was fired following losses to Norway and Moldova, had acknowledged the magnitude of the qualifying challenge before the match. "Now we have to climb the mountain, the Everest. We know that there's a lot at stake," Gattuso said.

Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali had expressed confidence in the team's trajectory under their new coach. "We've been feeling positive since the coach arrived, we've got to continue like this, there's no other option but to win," Tonali said.

Italy's previous national team coach was fired after Italy failed to score in losses to Norway and Moldova during World Cup qualifying. Gattuso was a member of Italy's 2006 World Cup winning team, which defeated France on penalties.

The 2026 World Cup field was expanded from 32 to 48 teams, representing a 50% increase and the largest expansion in tournament history. Four European playoff matches on March 31 determined the final qualifying teams from the continent.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's victory secured their place in a World Cup group stage alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. Italy has won four World Cup titles alongside Brazil and Germany as the only nations to achieve that feat, but will miss its third straight tournament.