2026 World Cup: Italy's bitterness after the initial rounds

Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, marking the team's third consecutive absence from soccer's premier tournament. The Italians were to be in group B along with Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland and Qatar. All these teams have already played their first matches, which ended in 1-1 draws: Canada with Bosnia and Qatar with Switzerland.  Despite Italy's absence, fans still feel frustrated. Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil's manager, drew 1-1 with Morocco, later commenting that his players were too "nervous". In turn, Vincenzo Montella, the manager of Turkey, unexpectedly lost 0-2 to Australia. Zeki Celik and Hakan Calhanoglu played for Turkey, while Juventus player Kenan Yildiz came off the bench in the second half because he is still not at his best after finishing the season with the Old Lady. Ancelotti and Montella still have a chance for redemption in the next two games, especially since the eight best third-placed teams will also advance to the next round, alongside the group winners and runners-up. There is also a third Italian coach at the World Cup: Fabio Cannavaro, winner of the 2006 World Cup, who will lead Uzbekistan in Group K, making his debut against Colombia on Thursday, June 18. --- ## Related Articles 1. [2026 FIFA ਵਿਸ਼ਵ ਕੱਪ: ਮੋਰੱਕੋ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਰਾਊਂਡ ਆਫ 32 ਵਿੱਚ Image: https://khidarikhabran.com/khabran/2026-fifa-32 2. [FIFA ప్రపంచ కప్ 2026: ఉచితంగా ప్రత్యక్ష ప్రసారం Image: https://golmaru.com/news/fifa-2026-11