Italy Woos Guardiola To End W’Cup Voodoo

The Italian Football Federation has reportedly opened talks with former Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, over the vacant Italy national team coaching job.

According to reports in Italy, the federation is hoping to convince the Spanish tactician to lead the Azzurri as they attempt to end their World Cup qualification struggles.

Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final, marking their third consecutive absence from football’s biggest tournament.

The disappointing campaign led to the departure of Gennaro Gattuso as head coach. Sky Italia reported that newly appointed Italian Football Federation technical director Paolo Maldini travelled to Barcelona with federation adviser, Leonardo to meet Guardiola.