Italian media slam World Cup failure as Montella leads Türkiye to finals

The Italian press criticized Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while at the same time praising Italian coach Vincenzo Montella for leading Turkiye to the finals after 24 years.

In the European qualifiers playoff finals, Italy’s elimination by Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, and Türkiye’s 1–0 win over Kosovo under Montella, received wide coverage in the Italian media, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

La Gazzetta dello Sport highlighted that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, running the headline “Everyone go home.” The paper described the result as a “disaster” and said the nightmare of missing the World Cup continues. It also reported that FIGC president Gabriele Gravina resisted calls to resign.

At the same time, the paper praised Montella with the headline: “Montella in heaven. The star shines, Aktürkoğlu scores, Türkiye is in America,” emphasizing that he is the man who took Türkiye back to the World Cup after 24 years.

Corriere dello Sport also used the headline “Everyone go home,” calling it Italy’s “third failure” and noting that the team is once again out of the World Cup. The paper reported that head coach Gennaro Gattuso apologized, while Gravina remained in his position despite resignation calls.

The same outlet praised Montella’s achievement with the headline “Perfect strike from Montella,” stating: “Vincenzo Montella did it: Turkiye is in the finals after 24 years. The Italian coach can proudly celebrate this.”

It also noted the strong performance of Kenan Yıldız and highlighted goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır as decisive in securing the win.

Tuttosport reacted harshly to Italy’s elimination with the headline “They should all be sent away,” stressing that after a third consecutive failure to qualify, a complete overhaul may be necessary in Italian football.

The paper also pointed out the contrast: while Italy is out, Montella’s Türkiye will be at the World Cup. With the headline “Here comes Türkiye again. Montella celebrates,” it wrote: “Montella’s Türkiye celebrates its return to the biggest stage in world football after 24 years.”