Italy miss out again as Bosnia, Turkiye, Czechs, Sweden qualify
Penalty heartbreak sends Italy home for a third straight tournament as Bosnia, Turkiye, Sweden and Czech Republic book their flights to North America.
Italy’s World Cup – (Web Desk) – Italy’s World Cup nightmare continues. For the third tournament in a row, the Azzurri won’t be on the biggest stage in football — knocked out by Bosnia and Herzegovina on a painful penalty shootout Tuesday night. A tournament expanding to 48 teams, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will go ahead without one of the sport’s most decorated nations.
It’s a gut punch for a country that has won the World Cup four times. Italy missed out in 2018 and 2022, and now they’ll once again be watching at home as the world’s best gather in North America.
The play-off final in Zenica ended 1-1 after extra time, sending the tie to penalties — where Bosnia won convincingly, 4-1. It was a night of missed chances and shattered nerves for Italy: Francesco Pio Esposito blazed their very first spot-kick over the bar, and Bryan Cristante saw his effort crash back off the crossbar. Only Sandro Tonali kept his composure.
Italy had started brightly. Moise Kean put them ahead on 15 minutes, and things were looking up — until Alessandro Bastoni was harshly sent off with a straight red card just before half-time, leaving his teammates to fight with ten men. Bosnia made the most of it, with Haris Tabakovic levelling things up on 79 minutes. No one could find a winner in extra time, and you know what happened next.
“I don’t think the boys deserved to suffer such a blow. It’s difficult to digest.” — Gennaro Gattuso
The last time Italy played at a World Cup was 2014, when they went out in the groups — just as they had in 2010. They haven’t won a knockout match since lifting the trophy back in 2006. In 2018, Sweden ended their dream. In 2022, it was North Macedonia. Now it’s Bosnia. For a nation of Italy’s footballing stature, this is becoming an uncomfortable pattern.
Ranked 66th in the world, Bosnia quietly put together a strong qualifying campaign, finishing second in Group H behind Austria before knocking out Wales on penalties in the semis. Now they’ve beaten Italy too, and they’re heading to their second ever World Cup. Their only previous appearance was in 2014. This time, they land in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.
In Kosovo, Kerem Aktürkoglu’s goal just after the hour mark gave Turkiye a 1-0 win and a place at the World Cup for the first time since their famous semi-final run in 2002. Kosovo, ranked 78th and chasing their first ever World Cup appearance since being accepted as a FIFA member just a decade ago, will have to wait a little longer.
Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye side, ranked 22nd in the world, will feature in Group D alongside co-hosts the United States, Paraguay, and Australia. It’s only their third World Cup ever — but what a moment it is.
“We achieved our dreams. The World Cup is the pinnacle in this profession.” — Vincenzo Montella
Sweden’s road to the World Cup was anything but smooth — they finished bottom of their qualifying group without a single win. But strong Nations League performances earned them a play-off spot, and from there, they grabbed their chance with both hands.
After beating Ukraine 3-1 last week, they faced a rollercoaster against Poland in Stockholm. Sweden went ahead twice — through Anthony Elanga and Gustaf Lagerbielke — and were pegged back twice, by Nicola Zalewski and Karol Świderski. Then, with the clock ticking down to the 88th minute, Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres bundled the ball over the line in a chaotic goalmouth scramble. Sweden win 3-2. Sweden are going to the World Cup.
Now managed by Englishman Graham Potter, they head into Group F with the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.
The Czech Republic saved some of the night’s most dramatic moments. After beating Ireland on penalties last week, they did it again — defeating Denmark 3-1 on spot-kicks in Prague after a 2-2 draw that had everything.
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Pavel Šulc put the Czechs ahead, Joachim Andersen headed Denmark level, Ladislav Krejčí restored the Czech lead in extra time, and Kasper Højgh made it 2-2. Then came the shootout — and Denmark simply couldn’t hold their nerve. Rasmus Højlund, Anders Dreyer, and Mathias Jensen all missed. The Czechs converted three of four and are heading to their first World Cup since 2006.
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