Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has demanded a complete rethink of the World Cup qualification format after his team found themselves needing a nine goal win against Norway to secure an automatic ticket to the 2026 tournament. Italy beat Moldova two nil in Chisinau for their sixth victory in seven Group I matches, yet Norway remain firmly ahead with a perfect record of seven wins, including a three nil triumph over the Italians. The gulf in goal difference now leaves the four time champions in a near impossible situation ahead of Sunday’s meeting in Milan.
Italy, currently ninth in the FIFA rankings, have already endured painful playoff exits in 2018 and 2022 against Sweden and North Macedonia. With Europe allocated sixteen spots at the expanded forty eight team World Cup, Gattuso argued that the present system places European nations at a disadvantage compared to other regions. He pointed to past formats where the strongest runners up qualified directly and highlighted how places for other continents have grown over time.
He also contrasted Europe’s hurdles with the South American route where six of ten teams qualify automatically and a seventh gets a playoff against an Oceania side. Gattuso insisted the imbalance fosters frustration and urged FIFA to introduce a fairer structure.
The coach also criticised the reaction of around four hundred Italy fans who booed the players in Moldova after a slow performance that produced a breakthrough only in the eighty eighth minute. Gattuso, who succeeded Luciano Spalletti in June, said the squad need support rather than hostility, especially with injuries forcing major changes to the team.
