2026 World Cup: Italy furious after Curaçao qualifies | OneFootball

Italie vs Norvège

Forced to go through the play-offs to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Italy is expressing its anger over Curaçao's qualification.

Is the qualification model for the 2026 World Cup really fair? For the Italians, the answer is a resounding no. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso had already vented his frustration about the system before his team was even confirmed for the play-offs. Now, Curaçao’s qualification only adds fuel to the fire for the Azzurri, who are left lamenting their fate as their national team faces two more do-or-die matches to avoid missing yet another World Cup. That’s because Curaçao, along with Haiti and Panama, clinched their spot yesterday—a historic first for the Caribbean nation—following the conclusion of the CONCACAF (North and Central America) qualifiers.

That’s what has infuriated the editor of Il Corriere dello Sport, who lashed out at FIFA boss Gianni Infantino on Instagram. "If Curaçao qualifies for the World Cup and not Italy, no matter what mistakes our national team made, what technical value can this tournament really have? It’s nothing but Infantino’s electoral politics…" he wrote.