Gennaro Gattuso has left his as role Italy boss by mutual consent as the nation look to start afresh following their latest failure to qualify for a World Cup.
Italy failed to make a third consecutive World Cup appearance after suffering a penalty shootout defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday evening’s play-off final in Zenica. This disappointment saw Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina and head of delegation Gianluigi Buffon, the former Juventus goalkeeper, to step down the next day.
Head coach Gattuso, 48, followed suit on Friday after taking responsibility for Italy only managing to finish second in their qualifying group, six points behind Norway, leading to the fateful showdown in Bosnia.
Gennaro Gattuso reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa – FIGC/FIGC via Getty Images)
The former Valencia, Marseille and Hajduk Split boss told the FIGC website: “With pain in my heart, having failed to achieve the target we set ourselves, I am bringing an end to my experience as national team boss.
“The blue shirt is the most special one that exists in football and for that reason I need to leave it in the hands of a new technical team going into the future.
“I must thank president Gravina and Buffon, and all those I’ve worked with at the federation, for the faith and support they have always given me. It was an honour to lead the national team and I did it with a group of lads who always showed fight and devotion to the shirt. The biggest thank you goes to the fans and to all the Italians who never stopped supporting us, even in these last few months.”
Gattuso replaced Luciano Spalletti, who succeeded Euro 2020 winner Roberto Mancini in 2023, just two games into the qualifying campaign.
