Italy appoint Gennaro Gattuso as manager ahead of crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers

The Italian FA, also known as Figc, has officially announced that former World Cup winner from 2006 Gennaro Gattuso will take the lead on the national team prior to the next 2026 World Cup qualifications. De Federatie besloot om Luciano Spalletti te ontslaan na het verliezen van 3-0 in de openingswedstrijd van de Wereldbekerkwalificaties, en ook na een teleurstellende UEFA Euro-campagne uit 2024, die Italië werd uitgeschakeld door Zwitserland in de ronde van 16. Gattuso zal worden onthuld als de nieuwe hoofdcoach deze week in Rome, op 19 juni, terwijl Italy hun eerste games speelt in september tegen Eston en Israel. In his earlier coaching career, Gattuso Napoli and AC Milan coached before he led clubs such as Valencia, Marseille and Hajduk Spalato.

“Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football,” said Figc President Gabriele Gravina. ”

“His motivation, professionalism and experience will be crucial for tackling the coming challenges of the national team. Aware of the importance of the goal we want to achieve, I thank him for his availability and total dedication when accepting this challenge …”

Gattuso will take the lead after the federation fired Spalletti last week, prior to the match won 2-0 against Moldova. Spalletti took the lead of the Italian national team in August 2023 after the decision of former head coach Roberto Mancini to get rid of his role and led the team to the disappointing Euro 2024 tournament.

Spalletti remained the management of the Azzurri, but the performances did not improve because Italy lost three of the last four games, including the 3-0 defeat against Norway in their first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifications. Initially, the FA former AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri asked to become the new head coach for the World Cup, but Ranieri refused and decided to keep his job as an adviser in the Friedkin family, the owners of the Italian club. After his refusal, the FA began to look at other options and Gattuso emerged as the strongest candidate in addition to the current Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli, who is also set to leave Saudi Arabia and was expected to be appointed as the new Fiorentina manager.