Why Andrea Pirlo might miss out on coaching the Italian national team even though many want him to lead and everything seemed set.
On 27 July 2026, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) was close to appointing Andrea Pirlo, former Italian national team midfielder and 2006 World Cup winner, as the new head coach of the Azzurri. Multiple reports last Friday indicated Italy was preparing to name Pirlo as the senior national team coach.
Why Pirlo?
The starting point was Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, which put the national team under intense scrutiny and marked the third consecutive World Cup they missed. This led to the dismissal of former coach Gennaro Gattuso.
Before settling on Pirlo, FIGC tried to recruit other top names. According to Reuters, former Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was approached but declined, citing a desire to take a break from coaching to spend more time with his family after a long tenure at City.
Similarly, Carlo Ancelotti was mentioned as a candidate but chose to continue working with the Brazil national team. Ultimately, the target became Pirlo, a former Milan teammate of Gattuso.
Contract terms and goals
Reports indicate FIGC has formally begun negotiations and reached a preliminary agreement on a four-year contract through 2030, with the primary goal of leading Italy back to the World Cup by that year.
Paolo Maldini, FIGC's technical director, revealed even longer-term ambitions. Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Maldini plans a project focused on youth players aged 12-13, believing Italy’s football revival must start there, expecting the full process to take 8-10 years.
Potential obstacles
However, recent reports suggest the appointment may not be straightforward. Pirlo is under scrutiny for his business association with Fonbet, a Russian betting company for which he has been a brand ambassador since 2025. Given the current international political climate, this relationship raises concerns within FIGC, which wants to avoid any controversy that could harm the image of the new Azzurri project.
Additionally, not all Italian fans have welcomed Pirlo; some had hoped for a high-profile name like Pep Guardiola, who has already declined the offer.
Pirlo, aged 47, has previously coached several teams after retiring, including Juventus (both U-23 and senior teams, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana), Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey, and Serie B side Sampdoria, before most recently managing United FC in the United Arab Emirates.
So far, FIGC has not officially confirmed the appointment; it remains to be seen whether the Fonbet issue will prove a real obstacle.