Would a rejuvenated Juventus help ease Italy’s qualification woes? | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup is the third tournament in a row that four-time winners Italy have failed to qualify.

However, it is not just the national team experiencing a downturn. On the domestic side, Juventus have plummeted from the cream of the crop to also-rans.

It is a far cry from the 2010s, when they won all but two of the Scudetti available.

The Zebras haven’t won a Scudetto since the 19/20 season and have had to make do with a couple of Coppa Italias in that timeframe.

Ultimately, Italy’s struggles appear to be aligned with Juve’s, so could a return to the top of Serie A for the country’s most successful club in domestic competition help in World Cup qualification?

An extended World Cup couldn’t save Italy

Perhaps the most disappointing element of Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup is that the tournament has been expanded to 48 teams.

Even with this expansion, the Azzurri failed to make the grade, having to watch on as sides such as Curacao – 500/1 in the World Cup 2026 odds – take to the biggest stage for the first time in their history.

It is a national shame that Gennaro Gattuso could not guide his side past Bosnia & Herzegovina in the play-offs.

It can be argued that coming second to Norway is no real disappointment, given that they possess the world’s best striker and a real selection of exceptional talent.

However, to labour past Northern Ireland and fall to a 40-year-old Edin Dzeko in the play-offs is disastrous.

From a Juve perspective, only Manuel Locatelli was involved in the play-off final. The midfielder was hauled off after 70 minutes, unable to inspire creativity in a side that had to replace its striker with a defender following Alessandro Bastoni’s red card.

What is extremely disheartening for the Old Lady is that a dearth of Italian stars in the side meant that there was only one representative from Turin on the pitch.

Where have all the Italian stars gone in Turin?

Only Locatelli and Federico Gatti were part of the Italian squad for the play-offs, highlighting the distinct lack of domestic talent at Juventus.

When the Azzurri triumphed over England at the 2020 European Championship, there were double that number.

At the 2006 World Cup, there were five, and not a single member played outside of Serie A. There were six Juve players in the 2014 squad.

When you look at those on the books at Juventus, only seven of the first-team squad are Italian, and even fewer would be considered top talents.

It is no wonder that the team has struggled to compete for the top honours, or even to be amongst Europe’s elite. There are a few bona fide stars of any nationality in the squad.

So it is not just domestic stars that are lacking. However, that could be a thing of the past if recent reports are to be believed.

While it looks like the club could be losing one of its biggest stars in Kenan Yildiz, there are rumours that both Emiliano Martinez and Alisson Becker are on their radar, as well as Kim-jin Mae from Bayern Munich.

These are all genuine world-class performers.

A return to success could aid youth development

If the club chiefs can attain the signatures of players of this calibre, it would represent a huge step towards achieving the success that has eluded Juve for much of the 2020s.

It would also provide a shot in the arm to those making their name at the club as young professionals.

A Serie A title and more experienced operators to lean on could be what the next crop of Italian stars at the club needs, and could help build a new national team that regularly qualifies for the World Cup.

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