Italy did not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it was one of the biggest absences from the tournament. Other notable teams reported as missing include Chile and Nigeria, while Italy’s failure was widely covered as a major upset.

Italy’s absence

Italy missed out again after falling short in European qualifying, which left them out of the 48-team field. Reports note this is Italy’s third straight World Cup without a berth.

Other notable misses

A few of the other headline nations not in the tournament include Chile and Nigeria. Coverage also highlighted that several historic teams failed to reach the expanded World Cup despite more available spots.

Why this mattered

The 2026 World Cup was the first with 48 teams, so some countries that might have been expected to qualify still missed out. Italy’s exclusion drew extra attention because of its history and because it became a symbol of a broader slump in the national team setup.

TL;DR

Italy did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and other notable absentees included Chile and Nigeria.