Four-time world champions Italy, who shockingly missed out on the last two World Cups, have begun their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on a dismal note. In their first World Cup qualifier, the Azzurri were seemingly blown away by Norway, suffering a resounding 3-0 defeat on Friday (June 6) night.
Having concluded their Nations League fixtures, Italy is competing in Group I of the qualifiers. In their opening match, Italy lost to Norway. The other three teams in the group are Estonia, Moldova, and Israel.
Italy's struggles have been evident since their 2006 World Cup triumph. They were eliminated in the first round of both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Even more strikingly, the four-time champions failed to qualify for the subsequent two tournaments in 2018 and 2022.
First Half Collapse Seals Italy's Fate
Their start to another World Cup qualifying campaign has proven to be equally disappointing. Italy suffered a significant setback in their first 2026 World Cup qualifier, losing 3-0 on Norwegian soil. The four-time world champions conceded all three goals in the first half.
Alexander Sørloth opened the scoring for Norway in the 14th minute. The lead was then doubled by Alexander Nübel in the 34th minute, making it 2-0. Norway's third goal came in the 42nd minute when Erling Haaland found the net from an Odegaard pass.
Group Standings and Reaction
Following this defeat, Italy currently sits in fourth place in Group I. However, due to their participation in the Nations League, they have played two fewer matches than their rivals. Norway leads the group with 9 points, while Israel is in second with 6 points. Estonia is in third place with 3 points.
After the match, Italy's coach Luciano Spalletti stated, "I am leading this team, I chose this squad, so I will stick with them. We need to improve in some areas because we are giving the opponent an advantage by losing possession."
Even the team captain and goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, had no explanation for the loss. "Our fans don't deserve to see a performance like this. We need to be self-critical. This is unacceptable." Italy's next match is against Moldova on Monday (June 9).
