World Cup 2026: kind draw for Gattuso’s Italy, chance to seize | OneFootball

The draw for the 2026 World Cup groups presents Italy with a real opportunity. A competitive setup still to be consolidated and a qualification that is far from guaranteed make this scenario particularly delicate, but the picture that emerges after the Washington draw is anything but discouraging.

World Cup 2026, a favorable draw opens the way. Now it’s up to Gattuso’s Italy to seize the opportunity

In fact: if the Azzurri manage to qualify through the playoffs, their initial path would be one of the most accessible in the entire tournament.

A World Cup that begins before the World Cup

Paradoxically, the greatest difficulty is not the tournament itself, but reaching it. Overcoming the semifinal in Bergamo against Northern Ireland and then the final in Cardiff against Wales or Bosnia is the real watershed. As Gattuso keeps telling his staff: “First we get through that, then we’ll think about the rest.”

The draw, in fact, has outlined a Group B that does not appear prohibitive:

Canada, seeded and host nation, technically organized but not irresistible;

Switzerland, historically a tough opponent for the Azzurri but still within reach;

Qatar, a team that has rarely shown solidity at the highest level.

A configuration that, viewed from Coverciano, represents a significant psychological incentive for a national team that in recent years has often faltered more on the emotional than the technical level.

The psychological effect of the draw: confidence and identity

For a group that still needs to rediscover certainty and consistency, such a group can become an accelerator of self-esteem. The prospect of avoiding giants like Brazil, Argentina, France, or Spain right from the start creates a less daunting horizon.

As a member of the technical staff confided after the draw: “We can’t afford distractions, but now we know the road isn’t uphill. It’s up to us.”

The avoided risk: what could have happened

The fourth pot, also reserved for teams still involved in the playoffs, hid obvious traps. On the eve of the draw, there was the danger of ending up in high-intensity groups, such as one potentially composed of Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland. Other groups offered similar pitfalls, with international-level opponents such as Germany, Ecuador, and Ivory Coast, or Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.

Instead, the draw produced a softer context: an almost ironic reversal compared to the European draw, when the presence of Norway complicated the path to the playoffs.

“For once, luck hasn’t turned its back on us,” was the most shared sentiment in federation circles.

Round of 16 and Round of 32: possible scenarios

Getting through the group will not be enough to call it an easy path. But it’s certain that the initial matchups do not seem prohibitive:

First place in the group: Round of 32 against one of the third-placed teams; possible Round of 16 against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Second place: matchup with the second in Group A (probably one between Mexico, South Korea, or Denmark, if they win the playoffs); possible Round of 16 clash with the Netherlands.

The structure of the expanded World Cup still allows for greater margins of recovery: in addition to the top two in each of the twelve groups, the eight best third-placed teams also advance. A useful window for national teams that, like Italy in 1994, might have a complicated start but the strength to bounce back.

Preparation management: the real critical factor

The national team cannot afford to repeat planning mistakes. The inability to secure a postponement of a league matchday will prevent Gattuso from working with the team for an extended period, but the Federation is considering alternative solutions.

“Even three full days at Coverciano can make a difference,” a federation official is said to have confided.

There is no shortage of individual quality: Italy may not belong to the world’s elite, but in the European landscape there are not sixteen teams superior. And sixteen, in the new format, is the number of teams that qualify directly for the World Cup.

Conclusion: an assist to turn into a goal

The draw guarantees nothing, but it does offer an advantage. Now, a clear-headed, concrete national team focused on immediate priorities is needed. First the playoff hurdle, then the possible World Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.