Spotlight on two worst records after the Italy national football team lost to the Bosnia national football team in the 2026 World Cup playoff round.
On 1 Apr 2026, spotlight on two worst records after the Azzurri, Italy national football team led by Gennaro Gattuso, lost 1-4 on penalties (1-1 after 120 minutes) to the Bosnia national football team in the 2026 World Cup playoff final (Path A) at Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica last night.
From this result, the first record is that the Azzurri lost to Bosnia for the first time in 30 years, with their last defeat on 6 November 1996. The second record is missing out on three consecutive World Cup finals in 2018, 2022, and 2026.
Starting with the 2018 World Cup: Italy failed to qualify for Russia after losing to Sweden 0-1 on aggregate in the playoffs. Then in the 2022 World Cup, the Azzurri shockingly lost the playoff to North Macedonia 0-1. Most recently in the 2026 World Cup, they lost 1-4 on penalties to Bosnia after being reduced to 10 men due to Alessandro Bastoni's red card, making Italy the first former world champion to miss three consecutive World Cups.
This marks an extended absence for the Azzurri from the World Cup finals, with their last appearance in 2014 in Brazil. From that day until now, they have waited 16 years, potentially returning in 2030 if they qualify.
The Azzurri have missed the World Cup finals four times in history: 1958, 2018, 2022, and now 2026. However, they have won the World Cup four times—in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006.