Rome would burn, Milan would rage, Naples would weep. A proud footballing heritage laid in tatters at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica. For the third successive time, four-time world champions Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. This time, they lost on penalty shootouts to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a nation that did not exist when the USA hosted its last World Cup (1994), a country with a population less than Italy’s capital Rome.
- April 2, 2026
