Italy Eliminated from FIFA World Cup 2026 After Playoff Loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Italy will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking its third consecutive absence from the tournament. The Azzurri’s hopes of qualifying for the competition in North America ended with a defeat in the UEFA playoff final.

Italy fell 2-1 to Bosnia and Herzegovina before losing 4-1 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, a result that officially ended its World Cup bid. With the victory, Bosnia and Herzegovina secured qualification and will join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in Group B.

The outcome also means Canadian fans will miss the prospect of a high-profile Canada-Italy matchup when the tournament begins in June.

Anticipation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already building across Canada, particularly in host cities Toronto and Vancouver, where preparations, including warm-up matches and training sessions, are drawing strong fan interest.

The 2026 edition marks the first time the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the tournament.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will open its campaign against Canada on June 12 in Toronto.

Italy’s defeat was sealed during the penalty shootout, with misses from Francesco Esposito and Bryan Cristante proving costly. The loss extends Italy’s World Cup drought to 12 years, following its failure to qualify in 2018 and 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina, by contrast, converted all four of its penalty attempts.

In regulation time, Bosnia and Herzegovina mounted a late comeback, with Haris Tabakovic scoring the equalizer in the 79th minute to force penalties.

Italy’s task became more difficult late in the first half when centre-back Alessandro Bastoni received a red card in the 41st minute for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Despite taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, Italy was reduced to 10 men.

Bosnia and Herzegovina dominated key statistical categories, holding a 65-35 advantage in possession and outshooting Italy 30-9, including 11 shots on target to Italy’s three. However, it required penalties to secure the result.

Bosnia and Herzegovina last appeared at the World Cup in 2014, its tournament debut, where it was eliminated in the group stage.

In other European qualifying results, Sweden defeated Poland 3-2 to book a place in Group F, Türkiye edged Kosovo 1-0 to qualify for Group D, and Czechia overcame Denmark on penalties after a 3-2 draw to secure a spot in Group A. Congo and Jamaica will compete for a place in Group K, while Iraq and Bolivia face off for qualification to Group I.

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