Why does Italy not participate in the current World Cup in Qatar?

Italy does not participate in the current FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar and is therefore absent from the World Finals for the second time in a row.

Here is information and details about the failure of the European champions to qualify for the World Cup:

How ended Italy's march in the World Cup qualifiers?

* The draw for the European qualifiers placed Italy in Group C, along with the teams of Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania.

* The pressure was great on coach Roberto Mancini and the national team after Italy failed to qualify for the previous tournament in Russia four years ago.

* The team started their campaign with three consecutive victories against Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania before stopping to play the European Championship last year.

* After winning the European Championship, Italy drew twice in a row against Bulgaria and Switzerland before winning 5-1 at home to Lithuania after that.

* Before the last two rounds of the qualifiers, Italy appeared on the brink of qualifying, but it tied with Switzerland, so the two teams tied the score before the last round.

* Four months after winning Euro 2020, Italy drew 0-0 with Northern Ireland as Switzerland finished top of the group with a win over Bulgaria that sent Italy into the play-offs.

How did Italy's march end in the play-offs?

* Italy was expected to meet Portugal in the play-off round, but the team missed their chance to appear in the finals when they lost 1-0 at home to North Macedonia, as a result of a goal in fatal time.

* North Macedonia advanced to the play-off round, but lost 2-0 to Portugal, who advanced to the finals.

How did Italy fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup?

* Italy finished second in Group G of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

* After that, they failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years, after a 0-0 home draw in 2017 with Switzerland, who advanced to the finals, winning 1-0 on aggregate.

* Immediately after the match, a number of the most prominent players of the Italian national team, Andrea Barzagli, Daniele De Rossi and captain Gianluigi Buffon, announced their retirement from international football.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news