When crowned champions in 2006, few would have expected Italyโs relationship with the World Cup to go so far south. For a nation of their magnitude, four-time world champions and twice the kings of Europe, Gli Azzurri have been left embarrassed on the biggest stage for the last two decades.
Before you check out the latest World Cup betting markets for ways to use your free bets, letโs take a look at whatโs gone so badly wrong for one of footballโs most storied nations.
2006: Champions
Italyโs last World Cup triumph came wrapped in one of the most extraordinary finals in the tournamentโs history. Zinedine Zidane, widely regarded as the greatest player of his generation, was sent off in extra time after headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest.
With France reduced to 10 men, Italy held their nerve in the penalty shootout, with Fabio Grosso converting the winning spot-kick to seal a fourth world title. It was the peak of a golden era, and nobody could have predicted what would follow.
2010: Rock bottom in the group stage
Four years on in South Africa, the world champions arrived as favourites to go deep in the tournament. Instead, they suffered one of the most humbling exits in their history. Italy finished bottom of a group containing Paraguay, Slovakia, and New Zealand, failing to win any of their three games, with two draws and a defeat. Getting held by the All Whites, a nation ranked far below them and playing in just their second ever World Cup, encapsulated just how badly Italy had regressed.
2014: Another group stage exit
Brazil offered little improvement. Italy were drawn into the so-called โGroup of Deathโ alongside England, Costa Rica and Uruguay, and got off to the perfect start with a victory over England. But back-to-back 1-0 defeats, to Costa Rica and then to Uruguay in the infamous game that saw Luis Suarez bite Giorgio Chiellini, ended their tournament at the first hurdle. The Suarez incident overshadowed everything, but the truth was, Italy were simply not good enough to compete with the best over the course of a group stage.
2018: The unthinkable happens
Missing a World Cup entirely felt like an impossibility for a nation of Italyโs standing. It became a reality in November 2017. They had finished second to Spain in their UEFA qualification group, posting seven wins, two draws, and one defeat, a record that would ordinarily be more than enough. But they were sent into the play-offs, and a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Sweden was devastating. The nation was stunned. For the first time since 1958, Italy would not be at a World Cup.
2022: History repeats itself
If 2018 was painful, 2022 was arguably worse. The reigning European champions entered qualification with genuine optimism. Drawn in a group with Switzerland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Northern Ireland, Italy would have backed themselves to qualify comfortably. Instead, inconsistency proved their undoing. A draw in Belfast, a 1-1 stalemate with Bulgaria in Florence and being held by Switzerland both home and away left them reliant on the play-offs once again.
This time, it was North Macedonia who ended their dreams, beating Italy in the semi-final before losing 2-0 to Portugal in the final. A nation that had won the Euros just months earlier could not even book a place at the World Cup. The embarrassment was total.
