FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under criticism in Italy after making light-hearted remarks about the national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup 2026.
The comments, made during an interview with Brazilian broadcaster CazeTV ahead of the tournament opener, sparked an angry reaction from Italian politicians and football supporters, who viewed the remarks as disrespectful toward one of football’s most successful nations.
Italy, four-time world champions, missed a third consecutive World Cup after also failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions. The absence is particularly notable given that the 2026 tournament features an expanded 48-team format.
During the interview, Infantino joked that Italy might finally return to the World Cup if FIFA expanded the competition to 64 teams in 2030.
He further quipped that the governing body could even increase the number of participants to 208 teams to guarantee the Azzurri a place at the next tournament.
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The remarks quickly generated criticism across Italy, where many felt the FIFA president was making fun of a painful chapter in the country’s football history.
Among the strongest responses came from politician Gaetano Amato, a member of the Movimento 5 Stelle party, who accused Infantino of belittling Italian football.
“Does Gianni Infantino think he’s being funny about Italy not qualifying for the World Cup?” Amato said.
“We should remember that he isn’t speaking as a fan at a bar, but as the President of FIFA. A role that he also has thanks to the support of the Italian federation and which should bring balance and respect.”
Amato acknowledged the struggles of the national team in recent years but argued that such comments were inappropriate coming from football’s highest-ranking official.
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“Nobody is more ashamed than us about the decline of the national team and the current disaster that Italian football finds itself in. We don’t need his cheap jokes to recognise that,” he added.
“Mocking Italy is a belittling exercise, especially from someone who should represent football across the world, including Italy.”
Italy’s Minister for Sport, Andrea Abodi, also expressed concern over the remarks and said he intended to seek clarification directly from Infantino.
“Given that there is a big distance between Italy and Mexico, I’d rather speak to him on the telephone to understand what he meant,” Abodi said. “I’d like to hear from him directly.”
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