Roma star Mancini on Italy World Cup pain: ‘I cannot watch the matches, it hurts too much’ | OneFootball

Gianluca Mancini has admitted he cannot bring himself to watch the 2026 World Cup, describing Italy’s third consecutive absence from the tournament as a pain that remains too raw to confront, even as a spectator.

Speaking to Sky Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, the Roma centre-back was candid about how deeply the qualification failure has affected him.

Mancini was on the pitch in Zenica during one of the key moments of the play-off defeat to Bosnia, just before Alessandro Bastoni’s red card that effectively ended Italy’s hopes.

“I can speak as a player who did not achieve World Cup qualification,” Mancini said.

“It is a pain, it hurts. I am not watching the matches, I cannot. I watch the highlights, but not the full games. It hurts not to be there.”

ROME, ITALY – MAY 17: Gianluca Mancini of AS Roma celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and SS Lazio at Stadio Olimpico on May 17, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Mancini looks forward to Champions League with Roma after Italy disappointment

On the broader issue of Italy’s repeated failures, Mancini did not look for easy excuses.

“If we have not qualified three times, it is not just a problem of young players, youth sectors and coaches,” he said. “It is bigger than that. We hope to resolve it in the coming years.”

Despite the disappointment, Mancini was notably upbeat about Roma’s Champions League return.

“After the match in Verona, embracing Cristante, I thought about it,” he said. “I imagined the stadiums, a little tune I have never heard in my career. It is beautiful even just to imagine it, I cannot wait to play in the competition.”