The 48 teams that will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup have now been confirmed following a round of playoffs in which Bosnia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Iraq secured their spots.
On the other hand, however, there are those who saw their dream of playing in the tournament in Mexico, Canada, and the United States vanish. Italy was one of them, and although Argentina has secured its spot, its coach, Lionel Scaloni, couldn’t help but feel sad for La Nazionale.
Scaloni Reacts to Italy’s 2026 World Cup Absence
The 47-year-old Argentine coach lamented the current situation of Gennaro Gattuso’s team, which will miss the tournament for the third consecutive time after drawing 1-1 and losing 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia.
This situation did not go unnoticed by thousands of soccer fans, and certainly not by Scaloni. The coach spoke with the press after Lionel Messi and company’s 5-0 rout of Zambia at La Bombonera Stadium in their final friendly and explained the personal reasons why this news affected him:
“I have some Italian heritage… my grandparents, my great-grandfather. I’m sad about Italy because, besides having played there, it’s a country I consider a brother to Argentina-one that loves us so much-and it’s a country and a national team that has made a huge impact and is one of the world powers,” Scaloni said (via Olé).
He played in Italy for two Serie A teams during the final stage of his football career: SS Lazio (2007-2008 and 2009-2013, with an intermediate loan) and Atalanta Calcio (2013-2015), where he finally retired. He also played one match at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, in the round of 16 against Mexico, which Argentina won 2-1. Italy went on to win the tournament for the fourth and final time.
“The fact that they’re not in the World Cup-I think we Argentines don’t like that… It’s sad, especially because of the way it happened-a tough, unfair way. They were down to 10 men in the 20th or 25th minute, on the road… When the wind isn’t at your back, it’s very difficult. They ended up securing their World Cup qualification on the road, against a good team. It’s very tough,” the Argentine coach concluded.
Previously, Italy had failed to qualify for Russia 2018 or Qatar 2022, with their last World Cup appearance coming in 2014, when the team failed to advance past the group stage.
Argentina, for its part, finished the South American qualifiers as the outright leader with 38 points, securing its spot in the 2026 World Cup ahead of schedule on March 25 of last year.
Now, the defending champion will have to defend the title it won in 2022. It will lead Group J, which also includes Austria, Algeria, and Jordan.
Thus, Scaloni’s team will face Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, at Kansas City Stadium. Then, at Dallas Stadium, they will play against Austria on Monday, June 22, and against Jordan on Saturday, June 27.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
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